Comments on: How to Preserve and Store Fresh Mushrooms

By: Matthew

Matthew — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:28:50 +0000

Hi Steve,

We don’t have any experience freezing sautéed onions, but from what I’ve read it can certainly be done. They’re likely to be a little more limp once thawed, so it’s just a question of whether that’s ok with you or not.

Other than that, freezing sautéed mushrooms & onions should work just fine. If you give it a whirl, let us know how it goes!

Matthew
MarxFoods.com

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 20:18:41 +0000

Great tips on freezing fresh mushrooms, as well as cooking them down and freezing them. I wonder how sautéed mushrooms and onions would be frozen and re-heated. that could be a big time saver.

Thanks,
Steve.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 20:53:26 +0000

Karyn,

It’s probably ok, but we’ve never done it & don’t know for sure. Let us know how it goes!

Matthew
Marxfoods.com

By: Karyn Gallup

Karyn Gallup — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 19:58:17 +0000

is it wise to can sheepshead mushrooms (maitake)? we’ve frozen them in the past but the process leaves them awfully tough. can you can them? pressure canner,etc.

By: Harry Swihart

Harry Swihart — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 21:50:42 +0000

Honey mushrooms found here in southwest Michigan. In Spite of a few huindred recipes aqnd post I have found on the internet I just suated several of the ‘buttons’ in butter until crisp and hey are wonderful. Just my experience and opinion. Harry

By: jaime henriquez

jaime henriquez — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 16:02:05 +0000

I boil them in 1/2 % water 1/2 % vinegar, add garlic oregano, salt basil, and bottle it, seal tight and refrigerate. I have saved for about 3 months, even though I have not preserved them for longer, they should stay in good shape for longer; this of course, is only for harder consistent mushrooms like champignon mushrooms, creminies, baby portobella, etc…. other mushrooms, I put them in olive oil and use the oil to flavor salads or any cooked foods, and sometimes, desserts.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 02:38:05 +0000

Great tips. I think I have the same food dehydrator. I have often seen dried mushrooms at the grocery store but I’ve never thought to do it myself.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:09:04 +0000

Dear Shiz,

Unfortunately, you’re probably hurting your mushrooms by freezing them that way.

Ice crystals are a major source of freezer damage. The slower food freezes, the bigger the crystals get, poking larger holes in the food’s cell wall. Packing mushrooms in water slows the freezing process and dramatically increases the number of ice crystals.

In addition, the mushrooms will take longer to thaw and likely absorb some of the surrounding water as the ice melts, further damaging their texture and flavor.

Finally, since the purpose of vacuum packing is to prevent the surface of food from coming into contact with air (already being done by the surrounding water) you’re actually wasting your vacuum bags.

Our advice would be to go ahead and chop your mushrooms into smaller pieces, which will help them freeze faster for smaller crystals. Then (ideally) lay the pieces out on asheet tray to freeze before moving to a vacuum bag (for individual pieces that’ll hopefully stand up to the vacuum pressure better). You could also gently vacuum them as a pile of pieces before freezing.

You might even consider trying cooking them or blanching them pre-freeze…which may further improve their thawed texture.

Matthew
MarxFoods.com

By: shiz

shiz — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:57:29 +0000

I have been freezing cutup matsutake mushrooms in water and then vacuum-packing them. Is this okay?

By: Matthew

Matthew — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:31:29 +0000

Hi Eileen,

For freezing mushrooms raw, we recommend this process:

1. Most varieties you can simply brush off the clinging dirt, but as maitakes have a lot of folds, you might want to give them a gentle rinse, and then carefully dry them as thoroughly as possible.
2. Whether to cut or not cut depends on the size of the mushrooms and your future plans for them. In general, when freezing something the smaller the pieces the better…but if you need them whole/in larger pieces you can freeze them that way.
3. Put a sheet pan in your freezer until it’s good and cold.
4. Place the mushrooms/pieces on the sheet pan in a single layer so they don’t touch each other. Freeze them solid, uncovered.
5. Move the frozen mushrooms to a freezer bag or (even better) a vacuum pack bag. Get as much air out as possible, seal, and keep them frozen until you’re ready to use.
6. Only thaw mushrooms when you’re ready to use them, as refreezing can damage their flavor/texture.

For more info, read How to Freeze Better at Home.

Hope this helps!

Matthew
Marx Foods