A note to thrifty housewives: is it possible to store champignons in the freezer?

Champignons are mushrooms that are almost always on sale, so they are very rarely purchased for future use.

But if you need to have a ready-made preparation on hand for preparing a mushroom dish, frozen champignons can be a big help.

We will tell you in the article whether it is possible to store champignons in the freezer and for how long.

Should I keep it in the freezer?

Freezing foods can extend their shelf life. Champignons are no exception. If there is an excess of product, placing the excess in the freezer will allow you to prepare a flavorful mushroom dish at any time.

Champignon can be frozen whole or in pieces. They can be frozen not only fresh. It is convenient to send them to the freezer in the form of a semi-finished product - already fried or boiled.

In order for champignons to retain their quality when frozen, processing and storage must be carried out according to the rules.

How long?

Duration of frozen mushroom storage depends on the initial state of the product and the conditions in which it will be located.

The freezer should be able to maintain the temperature at around -18°C or lower.

With proper organization and proper packaging, champignons can last a year in such conditions.

Each package sent to the freezer should be provided with a label indicating the type of contents and the date of freezing. This will always allow you to clearly navigate your food supplies.

How to preserve frozen mushrooms?

Champignons that are planned to be stored for a long time must be prepared. The mushrooms should be inspected; if there are damaged areas, they should be cut off. The dirt is washed off, the fruiting bodies are wiped with a napkin.

Further processing will depend on the form in which the products will be frozen. Possible options:

• fresh;
• toasted;
• in boiled

Fresh

Fresh champignons can be frozen whole or cut into pieces (plates). The first option is most often chosen for small mushrooms.

You should also take into account that when preparing whole champignons, they will take up much more space in the freezer compartment than chopped ones.

Procedure:

1. Wash the mushrooms using a sponge or brush. Even store-bought champignons grown artificially require such treatment.
2. Dry the mushrooms. To do this, they need to be laid out on a napkin or kitchen towel.
3. Slice.
4. Place in containers or ziplock bags.
5. Sign each package.
6. Place in the freezer. If possible, select the fast blast freezing mode.

In the case when, after defrosting, the mushrooms will be needed in the form of separate pieces, they need to be frozen differently. Sliced ​​champignons are laid out in one layer on a cutting board and placed in the freezer in this form.In a few hours they will become hard and can be poured into containers prepared for long-term storage.

Packages should be small and compact in size. This is necessary so that you don’t have to defrost more food than is needed for one preparation. Mushrooms cannot be re-frozen.

Boiled

You can also freeze boiled mushrooms. They also need to be pre-washed; there is no need to specifically dry them.

Further procedure:

1. Cut the champignons into pieces.
2. Boil water in a saucepan.
3. Place prepared mushrooms in boiling water.
4. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
5. Drain the water.
6. First transfer the champignons to a colander, and then spread them on a towel to remove excess moisture.
7. Cool to room temperature.
8. Distribute the workpiece into bags or containers.
9. Place in the freezer.

Fried

Fried mushrooms can also be frozen. After pre-treatment, they need to be washed and dried.

Further procedure:

1. Slice the champignons.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan.
3. Add mushrooms.
4. Stirring, fry until the liquid has completely evaporated. There is no need to bring it to full readiness, since this is a semi-finished product.
5. Cool to room temperature.
6. Pack into packages.
7. Place in the freezer.

It is also possible to fry mushrooms in a non-stick pan without oil.

Defrosting

It is not always necessary to defrost champignons stored in the freezer. When thawing, mushrooms release a lot of moisture. Because of this, champignons should be thawed in advance when they are used for filling pies.

If mushrooms will be added to soup, sauces or stews, it is not necessary to defrost the preparation in advance.

Video on the topic of the article

5 ways to freeze champignons are discussed in the video:

Conclusion

When choosing a method for freezing mushrooms for future use, you should take into account in advance what will be prepared from them in the future. For some dishes, mushrooms are not only possible, but even need to be chopped and boiled (or fried) in advance. This will save space in the refrigerator and speed up the cooking process.