Freezing milk mushrooms for the winter at home

You can freeze milk mushrooms in the freezer for the winter in different ways, depending on the further methods of use. However, since these mushrooms have a certain bitterness, freezing them is not the easiest thing. But nevertheless, there are enough available methods.

How to properly freeze milk mushrooms

To successfully freeze milk mushrooms for the winter at home, three things must be considered:

• initial bitter taste;
• the texture of the mushrooms, their moisture;
• the size of the mushroom.

Since, due to bitterness, this species is classified as a conditionally inedible mushroom, this must be taken into account when freezing. So, the bitterness is removed by preliminary heat treatment and soaking, but if you do not drain the excess liquid, then after thawing, the mushrooms will acquire the consistency of boiled porridge.

They are also soaked in order to clean out the adhering dirt.

In addition, the mushrooms are sorted by size when frozen. Small ones are harvested entirely, larger ones are cut into pieces. Each batch should have pieces of similar size.

How to freeze white milk mushrooms

Since re-freezing is unacceptable, white milk mushrooms are frozen only in portions. Before freezing, they are soaked in cold water, removing litter and dirt, and then, as a rule, they are boiled or fried in a small amount of vegetable oil. In this case, the washed mushrooms are allowed to dry before frying.

The liquid formed during cooking is drained.

Secrets of freezing black mushrooms

Although black milk mushrooms are usually salted, freezing them is quite feasible. At the same time, technologically, it almost does not differ from freezing whites. However, there are some nuances that are best known when harvesting mushrooms for the winter:

1. It is necessary to remove already prepared specimens in the freezer only after cooling down.
2. Since they are reduced during cooking, the cooking or frying time should be kept to a minimum before freezing.
3. The liquid is drained before freezing, and the mushrooms themselves are squeezed out a little.
4. It is necessary to minimize the amount of vegetable oil when frying.
5. When packing, leave free space for the mushroom juice.

How to freeze raw milk mushrooms

Theoretically, fresh milk mushrooms can be frozen without preliminary heat treatment, however, it should be borne in mind that the taste will deteriorate significantly. In addition, the structure of the mushroom changes greatly for the worse. To freeze raw, you need a refrigerator with a quick freeze mode or a powerful freezer.

To minimize damage, raw mushrooms are frozen like this:

1. Cleans mushrooms from debris and dirt.
2. Soak in cold water for several hours.
   Attention! Milk mushrooms should be as fresh as possible. It is best to carry out the procedure on the same day they were collected.
3. Large specimens are cut into small pieces.
4. The resulting liquid is drained.
5. They are laid out in containers or bags, leaving a little space for juice, and sealed hermetically.

Once thawed, these mushrooms are used for frying or as an ingredient in stews.

How to freeze dry milk mushrooms for the winter

Many mushroom lovers are worried about whether it is possible to freeze dry milk mushrooms for the winter. If harvesting "dry" mushrooms means the absence of any processing, then the answer is very simple - for mushrooms such freezing is impossible, since after thawing the bitter taste will remain.

To remove the bitterness, dry milk mushrooms are usually stewed in oil. So, for 1 kg of milk mushrooms, you will need 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil, a quarter teaspoon of salt, a bunch of herbs and spices if desired, as well as 1 spoon of white wine to taste.

Freezing process:

1. First, the mushrooms are dry cleaned of fine litter and dirt.
2. Then cut into equal pieces.
3. Oil is poured into a deep bowl, mushrooms are poured, put on fire.
4. Stew until soft.
5. Add white wine, salt, spices, herbs, keep on low heat for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Cool, drain the juice and freeze.

Mushrooms prepared in this way can be used as an independent dish. Sprinkle them with lemon juice before serving.

Is it possible to freeze boiled milk mushrooms

If you first boil and freeze the milk mushrooms, then their texture will be preserved, and the bitterness will leave the taste. This is the main reason why pre-boiled mushrooms are the best suited for freezing for the winter. In winter, they are added to salads, soup, stews.

This dish requires salt, citric acid and patience. They do it like this:

1. First, the milk mushrooms are soaked, getting rid of dust and litter.
2. Then the water is brought to a boil, salt and citric acid are added, then the mushrooms are poured.
3. Bring to a boil, cook for 5-7 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, cool, lay out in portions and freeze.

Defrost by immersion in boiling water.

How much to cook milk mushrooms before freezing

Depending on the volume and size of individual specimens, the cooking time can be either reduced or increased. Boil milk mushrooms for freezing from 5 minutes after boiling to 10 minutes after.

Freezing milk mushrooms after short-term scalding

This method is popular due to its simplicity and efficiency:

1. First, the milk mushrooms are soaked in cold water for several hours to remove the adhering dirt and get rid of the bitterness.
2. After that, they are thoroughly cleaned.
3. Large specimens are cut into pieces, small ones are left as they are. Transferred to a container with high sides, pour boiling water over it.
4. Leave in boiling water for 2 minutes.
5. Drain the liquid, spread the mushrooms in one layer, blot with a towel.
6. They are laid out in containers or bags, hermetically sealed and put into the freezer.

Mushrooms frozen in this way are suitable for frying or a variety of soups.

Is it possible to freeze fried milk mushrooms for the winter

Fried milk mushrooms for the winter can be cooked in a pan or in the oven. The main difference is that the dish cooked in the oven does not contain excess fat.

Freezing process:

1. First, the mushrooms are peeled and soaked, and also immediately divided into pieces of approximately equal size.
2. Then they are sent to boiling water, after salting it, and boiled for 15 minutes after boiling again.
3. After cooking, they are thrown into a colander, allowing the liquid to drain.
4. Vegetable oil is poured into a pan, mushrooms are poured and fry for half an hour, stirring.
5. When cooking in the oven, a temperature of 180 degrees is recommended. Pour the milk mushrooms onto a baking sheet and, stirring regularly, bake until the juice practically evaporates.
6. The cooled mushrooms are laid out in portioned containers and sent to the freezer.

Freezing stewed milk mushrooms for the winter

The peculiarity of the mushrooms harvested in this way is that they are frozen together with the broth. In this case, the shelf life is reduced to 3 months instead of six months.In addition, after freezing in a stew because of their consistency, they are best for making soups, pureed soups or julienne.

To properly freeze stewed milk mushrooms for the winter, you must:

• 1 kg of washed, peeled and chopped mushrooms;
• 1 glass of water - twice;
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• spices to taste.

Prepare like this:

1. Prepared mushrooms are placed in a saucepan, poured with water, salted.
2. Cook for a quarter of an hour, not forgetting to stir.
3. Pour off the liquid, pour in fresh water.
4. Spices and herbs are added.
5. Stew for about 10 minutes.
6. Allow the dish to cool, then lay it out in containers and freeze.

The recipe for freezing salted milk mushrooms for the winter

The process of freezing salted mushrooms is very simple:

1. The brine is drained.
2. Optional item - the mushrooms are washed with plain water to remove the remaining brine.
3. After that, they are left in a colander and allowed to drain off excess liquid, and then squeeze out a little.
4. Place in bags or containers and freeze.

During defrosting, salted milk mushrooms change their structure: they become soft, so the number of dishes where they are used is limited. So, they are suitable for making soup or as a filling for a pie or casserole.

What to cook from frozen milk mushrooms

Many dishes can be prepared from frozen milk mushrooms.

How to properly defrost milk mushrooms

During the defrosting process, the milk mushrooms should not be left to thaw gradually, as is the case with meat or poultry - if there is a need or desire to use frozen mushrooms, they start cooking immediately. So, they are usually sent to boiling water or fried in a pan.

When harvesting frozen mushrooms for the winter, remember that re-freezing is impossible, so it is better to pack them in relatively small portions.

Dishes that can be prepared from frozen milk mushrooms

Far from one or two dishes are prepared from frozen milk mushrooms, but the choice will depend on which method of processing the product was chosen earlier. So, you can be content with fried or stewed mushrooms as a self-sufficient dish or side dish, make a salad, julienne, cook soup (for example, a milk mushroom) or puree soup. Frozen mushrooms are also suitable for filling a pie or pizza.

Rules and terms of storage of frozen milk mushrooms

The maximum allowable shelf life of a workpiece in the freezer is 6 months. An exception is possible when the temperature of the freezer is -19 degrees or below this indicator - then the workpiece can be stored for 12 months. The shelf life depends on the temperature of the freezer and on the specific method of freezing.

So, if the composition of the preparation included vegetables, or the mushrooms were frozen together with the broth, the shelf life of the product is reduced to 3 months.

As a rule, the workpiece is stored for three months at temperatures up to -14 degrees and up to 6 months at temperatures up to -18 degrees.

Conclusion

Although it is relatively easy to freeze milk mushrooms in the freezer for the winter, this method of harvesting is used very rarely - they are salted much more often. However, freezing also has its advantages - the frozen product takes up little space, therefore, it can be prepared much more. This method has its drawbacks - to get rid of the bitterness, you need to make additional efforts.

Therefore, when freezing milk mushrooms, it is worth weighing the pros and cons of this method so as not to be deceived by expectations and not to be disappointed with taste.

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