How to freeze fresh cut and whole champignons in the freezer for the winter

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Properly freezing champignons means preserving the natural taste, aroma of fresh mushrooms, their nutritional value and unique benefits for the body. The conditions for keeping the delicacy in the freezer are the safest for human health, if the main requirements of technological norms and rules are met.

Preparing champignons for freezing

Lamellar mushrooms from the Agaricaceae (Champignonaceae) family belong to saprophytes. The nutrient medium for such species is straw, sunflower seeds, sawdust, from which the fruiting bodies obtain and perfectly absorb glucose. Therefore, there are no harmful substances in mushrooms.

If properly frozen, champignons will retain their beneficial and flavorful characteristics throughout the year. Raw or heat-treated mushrooms (baked, fried or boiled) are suitable for preparation. Any option for pre-processing the product should be correlated with the rules for preparing champignons for freezing given in the table.

Necessary manipulations	Procedures
Selection of raw materials	For the upcoming placement of the product in the chamber, high-quality specimens that have not expired are suitable. When choosing raw materials, it is recommended to give preference to mushrooms of white, beige or brown color without spots and sticky sensations when touched on the cap. Dark tones indicate that the mushrooms are overripe; when cooked, they will be tough and tasteless. The absence of a film between the cap and the stem indicates how long ago the lamellar fruits were collected. A sour smell with a hint of mold indicates that the product is spoiled.
Mushroom sorting	Mushrooms to be frozen must be sorted out, any doubtful specimens removed, and divided into large, medium and small. At this stage, it is necessary to decide on the purpose of using the ingredients (cooking, preparing first courses, frying, stewing or baking) in order to decide in what form it is best to store them.
Product Cleaning	For further processing, it is necessary to separate the cross on the stem, which is necessary to update the cut, as well as rid the mushrooms of residual soil and mycelium. If there are dark or slightly damaged areas on the caps, they must be carefully removed using a sharp knife. Then you need to rinse the product well using a foam sponge. To do this quickly and without losing the quality of the raw materials, you can use a useful life hack - place especially contaminated specimens in a bowl of water, add flour, then carefully mix the mushrooms with your hands. In this case, the flour particles will act as a scrub. All that remains is to drain the liquid, then dry the product well.
Slicing mushrooms	Large specimens for individual dishes, for example, for stuffing mushrooms, can be frozen in their entirety, separating the caps from the stems. In other cases, the upper part of the fruit can be cut into small cubes or sliced. It all depends on the intended purpose of the product.

Before freezing fresh champignons, they need to be chopped.
Freezing fresh champignons (mushrooms in any form can be stored in the freezer) will be beneficial in all aspects.
This method of harvesting not only allows you to preserve their best characteristics, but also has practical benefits, because in just 1 hour you can quickly and efficiently store up to 5 kg of mushrooms for the winter.

Freezing champignons at home

Champignons are considered one of the most popular edible mushrooms in the world. They are used in culinary recipes in different countries and are perfect for artificial cultivation. In winter, it is easier to use frozen champignons: they do not lose their beneficial properties and are easy to prepare.

Freezing champignons at home

Do champignons need to be washed before freezing?

If mushrooms are collected in the forest, they must be cleaned of soil, needles, and small insects, and then soaked for about 10–15 minutes. in a saline solution to get rid of pests that have entered the body of the fungus. Then you need to dry the future workpiece. However, prolonged exposure of lamellar in liquid should be resorted to in extreme cases. They are able to quickly absorb liquid, losing their taste.

Artificially grown mushrooms are usually clean, but the substrate in which they grow is not sterile, so you need to evaluate the external condition of the raw material; if it is very dirty, you can quickly rinse each specimen under running water. After this, you should wipe the mushrooms well with a clean cotton cloth, then leave them for 30–40 minutes. on a thick terry/waffle towel until completely dry.

It is also worth washing the fruits in order to speed up the cooking process after removing the mushrooms from the chamber.

Terrible disease botulism

Sausage poison (botulinum toxin) is one of the most powerful poisons. It affects muscles, causes vomiting, abdominal pain, makes swallowing difficult, and impairs vision. One of the reasons is improperly prepared canned mushrooms. The toxin is produced in the soil, so poorly washed mushrooms cause the development of bacteria.

Several mechanisms of neurotoxin poisoning are known. The most common is the accidental penetration of bacterial spores into the human body through the gastrointestinal tract. Spores are often found in foods that are packaged without access to air. Botulism occurs after eating contaminated and improperly stored canned food. Sausage poison can occur in meat and semi-finished products if they are not stored correctly, especially in the summer.

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Botulism can affect the body as a result of consuming canned mushrooms, which are usually not suspicious in terms of appearance, smell or taste. In cans affected by botulism bacteria, gas is released, which causes so-called bombing, that is, visible swelling of the upper and lower parts of the can, and is manifested by hissing gas when trying to open the can.

For symptoms of poisoning to appear, only 0.001 mcg/kg of body weight is affected by botulinum toxin. The lethal dose for a man weighing 70 kg is 70 mcg in terms of pure toxin. Clinical symptoms usually appear within 12 hours, but this time can range from 2 hours to 14 days:

nausea, vomiting and diarrhea;
visual impairment - blurred vision or diplopia;
symmetrical paralysis or damage to the cranial nerves, prolapse of the lower jaw, difficulty swallowing and slurred speech;
descending flaccid paresis of the limbs with damage to the muscles of the chest and diaphragm, which leads to respiratory failure;
dryness of the mucous membranes of the oral cavity and pharynx;
conjunctival hyperemia;
pastoral hypotension;
decreased blood pressure;
urinary disorders.

Freezing methods

Harvesting pre-treated champignons for the winter by freezing can be done in several ways:

On a cutting board. Fresh mushrooms can be frozen whole or sliced into thin slices of equal thickness. The product should be laid out in one layer on a wooden surface, placing the plates or caps at a short distance, then the workpiece should be placed in the freezer for about 6-12 days. After this, you need to remove the raw materials from the chamber, place portions in bags, completely remove the air from them, and tie the packaging tightly. The product can also be stored in closed food containers.
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On a baking sheet . The metal sheet should be wrapped in film, put chopped mushrooms on it, and cover them with a plastic bag. Then you need to proceed in the order described in the previous method of freezing and storing the product in a package.
Frying mushrooms . This processing of raw materials is often used for quick and convenient use of the product without changing its color and taste during heat treatment.
Blanching . This preparation of mushrooms involves scalding the raw materials with steam or boiling water. To do this, small fruits must be blanched using one of these techniques for 1-2 minutes, large ones - up to 3-4 minutes. After the procedure, the mass must be kept for a short time (2–3 minutes) in a 1% solution of citric acid, which will significantly speed up the freezing process. Then the mushrooms need to be thoroughly blotted, then sent in a closed container to the chamber.
Drying . You can preserve champignons in this state. To do this, pre-processed lamellar bodies must first be dried naturally (hang on a thread in a ventilated room) or done on a baking sheet in the oven, electric dryer, and then send the mass packed in a paper bag to the freezer.

It is not recommended to salt boiled or fried raw materials before freezing.

Beneficial features

These mushrooms are a universally recognized delicacy for their pleasant taste and delicate aroma, which is preserved during any culinary processing. Even if fresh sliced champignons are frozen, this will not reduce their taste. They are a storehouse of protein, vitamins and microelements: zinc, potassium, iron, phosphorus, and also contain 18 types of amino acids. By the way. Many of the amino acids that make up champignons are classified as essential - they are not synthesized in the human body, but come exclusively from food.

They consist of 90% water, the calorie content per 100 g does not exceed 27 kcal, for which this product is valued in vegetarian cuisine and dietary nutrition, especially with a salt-free diet.

lower cholesterol and blood glucose levels;
improve memory and mental abilities of a person;
strengthen the immune system and increase resistance to diseases;
reduce weight and improve metabolism;
treat migraines and headache attacks;
Oil extract heals wounds well, treats psoriasis and other skin defects.

Irina Selyutina (Biologist):

The presence of a large amount of vegetable protein in the pulp of the mushroom allows the feeling of fullness to be compared to champignons with meat. This is possible due to the fact that the percentage of protein in mushrooms is much higher than its content in meat and chicken eggs. By promoting quick saturation, champignons prevent weight gain. This property allows them to be used in various types of diets. Because Since mushrooms have the ability to reduce cholesterol levels in the blood, champignons will be indispensable in the diet of people suffering from atherosclerosis (the presence of atherosclerotic plaques in the blood vessels), as well as those at risk for the development of cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks.

You can also freeze fresh champignons at home. Freezing champignons is one of the most popular ways to prolong their freshness and use throughout the winter.

Choosing containers for freezing mushrooms

Freezing fresh champignons in the freezer without losing their appearance and beneficial properties is not very difficult. For the correct maintenance of mushrooms in the chamber, not only their quality, thorough preparation and proper use of freezing techniques are important, but also the choice of container in which the product will be stored.

Recommended containers to use:

plastic food containers with sealed lids attached to them;
dense plastic bags with a capacity of 1–2 liters, equipped with special slider locks;
ordinary plastic bags, as well as buckets and jars of cream cheese, sour cream, ice cream with lids;
bags made of natural cotton fabric;
trays or plates made of metal, plastic or glass;
paper bags.

An important condition for freezing is the condition of the dishes for placing the workpiece - it must be clean and dry. When choosing a container, you should give preference to a square or rectangular container, which will allow you to store the product in the freezer most economically.

To remove air from bags, it is advisable to acquire a household vacuumizer - a device with which you can easily and quickly pump out air from the bag, and use a heating element to seal (solder) the bag.

When choosing the type of container for freezing mushrooms, you need to consider the way they are placed - whole or chopped. To preserve the shape of the caps, it is recommended to use containers made of elastic material that is not subject to damage - polystyrene or polypropylene.

Defrosting rules

Champignons, frozen in the freezer or fresh, are popular among chefs. To ensure that frozen champignons do not lose their taste, it is important not to exceed the storage period and defrost them correctly. In the freezer, raw, they are stored at a temperature of -18 ° C for no more than 8 months, at -20 ° C for up to one year. The shelf life of fried or boiled ones is much shorter - no more than 3 months.

Frozen mushrooms should be defrosted gradually naturally on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator (it is better to place them there in the evening) or using the appropriate microwave mode, in small portions, so as not to freeze again. This makes them hard and lose their taste. And when preparing some dishes (soups, casseroles and other hot appetizers), they should not be defrosted to avoid moisture loss.

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Rules for freezing whole and cut champignons for the winter

Harvesting mushrooms using the presented method at home requires compliance with technological steps, which begin with the purchase of raw materials, continue with their sorting, cleaning, washing, slicing (if desired), and end with freezing. Before placing champignons in the refrigerator, it is necessary to reduce the temperature to the minimum value.

Raw

You can freeze fresh champignons in the freezer, whole or by cutting mushrooms:

The sorted raw materials must be rinsed well and quickly under running water, immediately blotted dry with disposable towels, then left for at least 20 minutes. on woven fabric. This technique will preserve the gastronomic and appetizing properties of the product after it is removed from the chamber.
Raw champignons of medium and small sizes can be frozen whole or cut into halves, in the form of small cubes or thin plates. It is recommended to use ordinary bags or bags with a special zip fastener as containers. After placing the product in such packaging, it is necessary to squeeze out the air from it.
Large and whole specimens can be packaged in plastic containers so that the caps do not break during storage. However, experienced chefs advise freezing the prepared product, regardless of the size of the fruit, in a chopped state. This opinion of experts is easily explained - chopping frozen mushrooms after they have thawed in the desired form will become almost impossible.
Chopped champignons must first be sent to the chamber on flat surfaces, then transferred to appropriate packaging, then continue freezing. This should not be done for raw, undried fruits. The liquid remaining in them will quickly turn into ice; when thawed, such an ingredient will become watery, shapeless and completely tasteless.

Boiled

Procurement algorithm:

Mushrooms must be cut into the desired shape, placed in a saucepan, and filled with purified water.
The product should be cooked for up to 10 minutes, then left in a colander to remove excess moisture and dry out.
All that remains is to place the workpiece in a sealed bag, not forgetting to squeeze out the air from it, then put the product in the freezer.

Fried

Dry champignons, cut into slices in any shape, should be placed in a saucepan with heated oil and fry in an open container until the liquid has completely evaporated. Ruddy mushrooms should be left on paper towels to rid them of excess fat and moisture, after which the product should be completely cooled, dried, packaged and frozen. You can immediately prepare dishes from this component.

baked

You can freeze fresh champignons in the freezer in a similar way after heat treatment. To do this, the mushrooms must be thoroughly dried and placed on a baking sheet without oil. You need to bake the raw materials for 15–20 minutes. at 180 °C, then the finished fruits should be cooled, properly packaged, and placed in a chamber.

Thawed components, frozen in baked form, are distinguished by a rich aroma and especially bright flavor shades.

Other harvesting methods

Mushrooms are stored in the refrigerator not only at sub-zero temperatures in the freezer. Often, mushroom marinades and pickles in jars are kept not in the cellar, but in a refrigeration unit. They also use an interesting method of drying mushrooms using the space of a freezing unit rather than a dryer.

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Drying occurs by placing the cut pieces on paper in the lower compartments of the refrigerator. The mushrooms are dried there for 14 days. After this, they are removed for further storage in a dry place. Drying at low temperatures allows you to achieve plasticity of the raw material. It does not deform, as when dried in the classical way.

Pickled

Housewives love to pickle mushrooms. After the product has been marinated, it is stored in a glass container. The condition of the workpiece and the permissible shelf life are significantly influenced by the material from which the lid is made. Mushrooms can be stored in jars with metal lids for 12 months, and in jars with glass lids for 24 months.

Glass is a non-reactive material, so it comes into easy contact with food throughout its shelf life. This does not cause any harm to the consumer's health. And metal products can oxidize food supplies and inevitably harm the human body.

Canned

There are also those who prefer to preserve mushrooms for the winter. At the same time, the original taste characteristics are well preserved. The product is subjected to thorough heat treatment, preserved with a special salt solution and carefully sealed. If all manipulations are done correctly, then jars of salted mushrooms are stored in the cellar or refrigerator for up to 5 years.

Cold-salted milk mushrooms are stored for no longer than 2 years. If you bought canned mushrooms in a tin container, then after opening they are transferred to a glass jar. It is recommended to store the opened product for no more than 72 hours.

Fresh

Open enamel, plastic or glass containers are suitable for temporary storage of fresh raw materials. But galvanized, aluminum or iron containers are absolutely not suitable for this. This is due to the fact that mushroom acids, in contact with various metals, change the taste and color of the original product.

When you manage to cut mushrooms yourself or buy them in a store (oyster mushrooms, champignons), you should not wash or cut them before putting them in the refrigerator. If you remove the product without first cleaning or treating it, the storage time will increase.

If you follow all the recommendations, fresh boletus mushrooms will last up to 72 hours. They should be stored in a bag made of paper and cellophane. Moreover, it is advisable to open the latter from time to time so that the mushrooms do not rot and become moldy.

When going to pick mushrooms, you need to immediately decide how they will be used. Some people prefer to leave them in a refrigeration unit for several days and only then process them. Others try to immediately boil them, fry them, pickle them, or freeze them fresh for the winter. If you take into account all the nuances of storage, then this nutritious product will appear in the diet many times throughout the year.

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How to freeze champignons along with broth?

It is quite possible to preserve mushrooms for the winter using the presented method. This method of preparing the product will always come in handy; it will help out if you need to quickly prepare the first dish. To perform this method of preserving prepared food, you need to boil a rich mushroom broth using any chosen recipe.

The simplest option is to do the following:

The champignons need to be cut into thin slices, put them in drinking water, add coarse salt to taste, peeled and chopped onion, and bay leaf.
After this, you need to cook the contents of the container for 30 minutes. on low heat.
The finished soup must be cooled, poured along with the thick part into a suitable container or even into a tight bag.

All that remains is to send the workpiece to the freezer.

In what form can champignons be frozen?

Raw fruiting bodies are considered the best. You can prepare any dish from them. For this reason, housewives reasonably wonder whether it is possible to freeze raw champignons in the freezer to preserve their original qualities. Such technology exists and is successfully used at home and in food factories.

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You can freeze any mushroom: fried, boiled. Many people practice initial heat treatment to reduce volume. After boiling or frying, more food is placed inside the freezer.

How can you freeze stuffed champignons?

For the technology of preserving frozen mushrooms filled with various fillings, intact and intact caps of lamellar bodies are used. Stuffing champignons is allowed according to any chosen recipe. At the same time, you can keep both semi-finished and almost finished treats in the chamber. Mushrooms filled with selected products should be subjected to heat treatment (bake, fry or stew).

Then the dish must be cooled, placed on a tray, and then placed in the chamber. After the stuffed champignons are completely frozen, they need to be quickly packaged in convenient forms, and then returned to the same cold conditions.

Boiled product

To prepare this dish, you need to buy the product, prepare it and follow the following instructions:

The mushrooms are placed in a saucepan, filled with water and placed on the fire.
After boiling, the contents should boil for 10-15 minutes.
Place the champignons in a colander to drain all excess liquid and dry them a little.
Boiled, already dry mushrooms are placed in prepared bags or containers. The containers are sealed and placed in the freezer.
In this form, the workpiece can be stored for six months. Be sure to write the date of manufacture on the packaging.

How long can mushrooms be stored in the freezer?

Keeping champignons frozen has a limited period of time during which the product is able to retain its nutritional and taste characteristics. It all depends on the temperature regime and the state of the raw material in which it was sent to the chamber. If the refrigerator has a turbo mode, it needs to be activated for about 2-3 hours, which will significantly shorten the freezing time of the product.

The table shows the period of permissible stay of fresh mushrooms in the freezer without losing their natural taste and aroma:

Temperature	Storage period
t -12-14 °C	3–4 months
t -14 -18 °C	4–6 months
t -18…- 24 °C	up to 1 year

You can freeze fresh champignons in the freezer in a boiled or fried state. In this case, the shelf life of the component should not exceed 8 months. You can control the time the product spends in the chamber in a simple way - stick stickers on the packaging with the date the mushrooms were placed.

Beneficial features

How to defrost champignons correctly

The process of thawing the product is important for preserving its color, taste and aroma, preserving the maximum amount of nutrients in mushrooms. The main condition for this is not to thaw the champignons in hot water, in which the lamellar bodies will almost instantly lose their texture.

To properly defrost, mushrooms should be removed from the chamber, placed on the top shelf of the refrigerator, and then left until completely thawed at room temperature. This result is not required if the mushrooms are to be cooked in the oven or on the stove. In this case, the champignons can be sent to their destination immediately after being removed from the chamber. This is why complete and thorough pre-processing of raw materials is so important.

Is it possible to freeze champignon mushrooms raw?

We left the most popular method for last. Mushrooms are stored unchanged for up to six months, all mandatory requirements, such as cleanliness and tightness of the container, quality of raw materials, remain the same. In this way, you can freeze champignons and then defrost them with virtually no loss of taste or appearance, subject to strict adherence to all conditions.

So, as in previous cases, we sort the mushrooms, wash them and dry them slightly. Next, they should be divided by size and packaged in small portions in sealed bags.

Pay attention to the last requirement! Is it possible to freeze fresh champignons in the freezer and ignore it? In principle, yes, but only on the condition that you store them for no longer than a month, and only if the refrigerator is not equipped with a dry freezing function.

Champignon mushrooms are used to prepare many dishes. They are grown artificially, so they are sold in stores all year round. But there are situations when you need mushrooms urgently, but you forgot to buy them. This is where the question arises: how to freeze fresh champignons so that you have them on hand all year round.

Why did the champignons turn black after freezing and what should I do?

The reason for such a change in the color of mushrooms may be insufficient cleaning of them from foliage and soil, unsealed packaging before placing them in the chamber, too low a temperature in the chamber, or secondary freezing.

There is nothing threatening to human health with such a manifestation, if the raw champignons were exceptionally fresh, of high quality, white or in color corresponding to the given type of mushroom, without signs of rotting. In case of blackening, such a product can be safely sent to the stove, frying pan or oven. After heat treatment of frozen mushrooms, their nutritional qualities and beneficial properties do not differ from their fresh “brothers”.

Freezing champignons at home

What can you cook from frozen champignons?

Choosing a dish to use the proposed method of preserving the product is not difficult at all - the range of treats is unlimited, only your own preferences matter. You can prepare the same treats from frozen mushrooms that include fresh champignons in the recipes.

For example, you need to remove the packaging from the camera, then use the product in the following ways:

Fry the mushrooms. Sliced caps or small specimens are suitable for this. Frozen mushrooms should be placed in a frying pan with oil, then fried until the liquid evaporates and the champignons have a golden hue. At the end of the process, it is recommended to season the mixture with coarse salt and pepper and add chopped onion.
Prepare aromatic soup. First, you need to boil peeled and divided potatoes in a saucepan, then add chopped onion and carrots, separately sautéed in oil until golden brown, with chopped dill added at the end of the process.
Mushrooms with new potatoes. Frozen champignons need to be browned in a frying pan as usual, then add well-washed and dried small young tubers. At the end of cooking, you should season the mixture with spices, sprinkle with chopped garlic, flavor the mixture with homemade sour cream, and then simmer the contents of the dish for about 3-5 minutes. under the lid.
Salads. Such a product can only be included in a dish in pre-fried form, otherwise the thawed components will quickly darken and spoil the visual appeal of the food.

It is worth freezing a pre-prepared or fresh product for quality storage in the freezer to quickly create such wonderful treats as buckwheat with mushrooms, stewed champignons with sweet peppers and turkey in sour cream, or fried mushrooms with Chinese chicken.

Cooking uses of fried mushrooms

Now at any time you can prepare from this preparation:

cream soup;
mushroom sauce;
meat stuffed with mushrooms;
pizza with mushrooms;
Italian lasagna;
potatoes with mushrooms;
vegetables baked in a pot, etc.

If you have time to prepare mushrooms, you can boil or fry them before freezing. This will speed up cooking later.

It's easy to cook fried mushrooms and then freeze them. During cooking, it is advisable not to add spices and onions to them - this will need to be done later, during the preparation of the main dish.

You can select and buy mushrooms, wash and cut them in the usual way described above. For frying, they can be cut into plates or pieces (slices). Further:

Place on a hot frying pan, after which a characteristic hiss of moisture should appear.
Oil is added to the pan and the slices are gently mixed.
Fry the mushrooms over medium heat until all the moisture has evaporated from the pan.
The workpiece is laid out on a plate until it cools completely.

The fried slices or plates are carefully transferred to a bag or container, hermetically sealed and stored in the freezer. Be sure to indicate the date of their manufacture, because the shelf life of such a product is only 6 months.

Useful tips

Nutritionists recommend using mushrooms for those who want to lose weight. They are filling, but at the same time low in calories. Using them to prepare various dishes, you can not only diversify your diet, but also start metabolic processes in the body.

Whole champignons or cut into 4 pieces can be used when baking fish or poultry, filling all the voids on the baking sheet with them. In this case, there is no need to defrost them first, otherwise they will darken or even turn black.

Do not store wet mushrooms in the freezer for long-term storage. Excess moisture will cause them to deteriorate and their shelf life will decrease dramatically. It will be a shame when, upon opening the package with the preparation, you see that the mushrooms have spoiled.

Since mushrooms, like other preparations, cannot be re-frozen, they should be placed in portioned bags from the very beginning. If the freezer compartment of your refrigerator is large and spacious, then making and storing such a product will not be difficult.

Mushrooms should only be washed under running water; under no circumstances should they be soaked in water, as they can absorb excess liquid.