The best recipes on how to properly freeze chanterelles fresh for the winter at home

In the autumn season, lovers of forest walks bring whole baskets of mushrooms. Bright fresh chanterelles are much more aromatic and tastier than their store-bought counterparts, so many people dream of preserving their catch. They use different methods of canning and drying. Let's consider how best to freeze fresh chanterelles for the winter, preserving the taste, smell and beneficial properties.

Is it possible to freeze chanterelles for the winter?

The mushroom picking season is short, so lovers of “silent hunting”, who managed to fill their baskets to the top, try to preserve the product for the whole year. Canning worsens the taste of chanterelles, and freezing not only does not spoil it, but also preserves the aroma and valuable qualities.

Useful properties that remain in the product after freezing:

• remove radioactive substances and toxins;
• protect against tumor development;
• strengthen the immune system and promote the synthesis of hormones;
• reduce cholesterol production, protect against atherosclerosis;
• stimulate brain function.

Valuable substances remain when properly frozen and stored. Chanterelles contain amino acids, vitamins, including PP, group B, and microelements. The phosphorus content corresponds to marine fish. Mushrooms with dense flesh are frozen, which will not turn into dust after thawing and will retain their shape perfectly after several months in the refrigerator.

Features of working with mushrooms

After returning from the forest with a large batch of mushrooms, you will not be able to rest. Raw materials need to be dealt with immediately. Despite the fact that there are no worms in chanterelles, they need to be processed as soon as possible.

If the production is large, relatives are called to help in order to reduce the work time. In this case, only the smallest batch that is being processed should be kept in a warm room. The rest are stored in the refrigerator, cellar, or simply taken out to the loggia, where the temperature is much lower.

Raw materials need to be sorted quickly and divided by type, if they are different. Doubtful specimens are discarded so as not to infect healthy ones.

Mushrooms can be frozen raw, boiled or fried. During the preparation process, they are sorted into two groups - for heat treatment and simple freezing.

Important: mushrooms tend to accumulate toxins and heavy metals from the surrounding air, so specimens collected near highways or hazardous industries will not be beneficial. Harmful components persist even after cooking.

Selection and preparation of mushrooms before starting the process

Elements for raw freezing are especially carefully selected. Chanterelles often taste bitter; large mature individuals have this feature. Only young small mushrooms with unopened caps without damage are frozen raw. The prey needs to be sorted out and sorted by size if you decide to freeze it raw. Remove debris and grass from the fungi, carefully shaking out small debris from under the caps, where it gets clogged between the plates.

If the mushrooms are clean, without earthen lumps, you do not need to wash them before freezing, just thoroughly clean out the debris. You cannot soak mushrooms before raw freezing; they must be quickly washed under running water. After washing, before sending them to the chamber, the workpieces will have to be dried on towels so that they do not turn into an ice lump.

Bitterness in chanterelles often appears after being stored raw in the freezer, so many mushroom pickers prefer to freeze pre-boiled raw materials. Any specimen is suitable for cooking - boiling, frying, stewing; they need to be washed well and cut into equal pieces.

Important: chanterelles need to be processed within 10-16 hours; cut mushrooms cannot be stored for longer than a day.

Preparing the refrigerator

Before placing mushrooms for freezing, you need to prepare the refrigerator. To do this, free up space, ventilate and wash the freezer. The mushrooms will be placed on large trays open, so you need a lot of space. The thermostat is set to a position that will create a temperature in the chamber of -18°.This will ensure fast and high-quality freezing without loss of beneficial properties.

Recipes for freezing chanterelles at home

Each type of workpiece has its own advantages. If you freeze fresh, it’s quick and won’t cause much trouble. Since the mushrooms will still have to be cooked later, because they are not eaten raw, like strawberries, there is no particular point in preparing them fresh.

Many people believe that it is better to cook it right away, so that later they can simply add it to the dish during cooking.

Freezing raw mushrooms

Step-by-step plan for freezing without heat treatment:

1. Select small whole specimens with unopened caps. Wash and dry or simply clean well to remove dirt.
2. Place on a tray in one layer, loosely, to ensure even freezing.
3. Freeze for 12-15 hours in a chamber at a temperature of -16-18°.
4. Transfer into containers as tightly as possible, pack well to avoid excess moisture and odors. You should choose the right size containers to consume at one time.

The container must be labeled, indicating that these are fresh mushrooms if other types are stored in the freezer.

Boiled chanterelles

Freezing boiled mushrooms will take longer, but will avoid possible bitterness and speed up cooking. Boiled chanterelles can be added to the dish straight from the freezer. Stages of work:

1. Any undamaged specimens are suitable for this type of blank. They are washed well and cut into pieces of the same size.
2. Next, you need to cook the mushrooms. Proportions: for 1 kilogram of chanterelles, 2 liters of water and 1 tablespoon of salt.
3. Cooking time: 6-8 minutes after boiling. To preserve chanterelles well, they should not be overcooked.
4. Place in a colander or sieve and let the water drain well.Place on a clean towel and dry as much as possible.
5. Spread loosely on a tray and place in the chamber for 10-12 hours.

Transfer to storage containers and seal tightly.

Fried or stewed

Fried chanterelles are well preserved in the freezer, remaining fragrant and tasty. Before freezing you must:

1. Wash and dry the mushrooms. Cut into equal slices. The chanterelles are not boiled before frying.
2. Place in a saucepan and fry until the liquid is completely released. Add oil and wait until slightly browned.
3. It is necessary to cook in vegetable oil; using animal fats for long-term storage is not recommended. Also, do not add spices and vegetables.

After this, you need to wait until the frying has cooled down, ensuring that excess oil drains off. To do this, you can use a sieve or paper towel. Transfer to a storage container and put in the freezer.

In the form of broth

If the volume of the freezer allows, you can freeze mushrooms for storage directly in the broth. In this way you can prepare the basis for the future soup:

1. Boil water, add salt, pepper, add mushrooms.
2. Boil for 6-8 minutes, skimming off the foam.
3. Pour into containers with mushrooms and wait to cool.
4. Place the containers in the refrigerator, and after freezing, pack them well in bags.

This is how the empty broth left over after boiling the chanterelles is frozen for freezing.

How much and how are the blanks stored?

Frozen chanterelles retain their good taste and smell for 3-4 months. At a constant temperature in the freezer they can be stored for up to a year, but their taste will inevitably deteriorate.If it is necessary to defrost the refrigerator, the containers must be transferred to another cold place to prevent thawing, since they cannot be re-frozen. During long-term storage, bitterness may appear in chanterelles, which will have to be dealt with through several stages of boiling, as a result of which they will lose all taste and smell.

How to defrost correctly

Frozen fresh chanterelles require a long, gradual thawing. They are transferred from the freezer to the main chamber, to the shelf with the lowest temperature. When the ice melts, the container is placed in the room for further warming.

Accelerating the process in the microwave or hot water will lead to souring, loss of shape and taste. If you need to cook the chanterelles, it is better to remove them from the freezer in advance and place them in the refrigerator overnight. Mushrooms that have been previously boiled or fried do not need to be defrosted. They are frozen and immediately added to the prepared dish. That is why it is better to store chanterelles in small portions at a time.

Freezing chanterelles and other forest gifts helps you diversify your menu in winter and make your diet more healthy and balanced. And although fresh mushrooms are always available in stores, it is impossible to compare them with the forest beauties - chanterelles, even frozen ones.