One of the most popular mushrooms in the world are champignons. They are used in culinary recipes of different countries, they are suitable for artificial cultivation. In winter, it is easier to use frozen champignons: they do not lose their beneficial properties and are convenient to prepare.
Champignon freezing at home
Beneficial features
These mushrooms are recognized as a delicacy for their pleasant taste and delicate aroma, which is preserved during any culinary processing. Even if you freeze fresh chopped champignons, this will not affect their taste. They are a storehouse of protein, vitamins and trace elements: zinc, potassium, iron, phosphorus, and also contain 20 types of amino acids.
They are 90% water, calories per 100 g do not exceed 27 kcal, for which this product is valued in vegetarian cuisine and diet, especially with a salt-free diet.
Beneficial features:
- lower cholesterol and glucose in the blood;
- improve the memory and mental abilities of a person;
- strengthen immunity and increase resistance to diseases;
- reduce weight and improve metabolism;
- treat migraines and headaches;
- oil extract heals well wounds, treats psoriasis and other skin defects.
You can freeze fresh champignons at home. Champignon freezing is one of the most popular ways to prolong their freshness and use throughout the winter.
How to choose mushrooms for freezing
Freezing champignons at home begins with their purchase. Fresh specimens should be chosen, small champignons are tastier and more convenient to process. Large mushrooms are chosen if they plan to stuff their hats with filling.
When choosing, focus on such signs of freshness:
- fresh mushrooms are white in color, sometimes with a pinkish tinge, and overripe it is brownish and after cooking they will be tough;
- dark spots or dents on the hats - a sign of corruption and improper storage;
- the film between the leg and the cap in the small ones is intact, without damage, in medium ones it can have slight tears, and in large ones it can be absent;
- the aroma is rich, pleasant, with a cut it is enhanced, without the smell of dampness;
- the surface of fresh is dull, smooth, elastic; in the case of stale, it is sticky, the consistency of a sponge.
It is necessary to approach the selection of this product for harvesting responsibly so as not to spoil the cooked dish later.
Storage at temperatures from 2 ° C to 4 ° C allows you to keep them fresh for up to 5 days, while storage at room temperature will reduce this period to 6 hours.
Freezing methods
Cut mushrooms before freezing
It is possible to freeze champignons correctly, observing all stages of their preparation for this process. They must be washed under running water at room temperature, then allowed to drain and dry thoroughly. The next step in preparing for the freezing of champignons for the winter is their inspection and removal of dirty and damaged places, the remains of the root system. It is better to separate the hat from the legs - it will be easier to pack and avoid breaking. After that, they decide whether this product will be subjected to heat treatment and in what form the champignons will be frozen: whole or cut.
Before freezing champignon mushrooms at home, it is important to prepare a left-luggage office. In the freezer section of the refrigerator, there should be no meat or fish near vegetables.
To freeze whole champignons, they are laid out in containers or small plastic bags and tightly closed. Then you can freeze the champignons in the freezer in quick freeze mode. In the future, when used, they should not be thawed so as not to darken.
The advantage of frozen chopped champignons will be their compactness and time saving during subsequent preparation for use. To do this, they are cut into slices, laid out on a flat surface and sent to the freezer, after which frozen chopped champignons are poured into bags and placed in the freezer again. In this form, it is convenient to cook soup from them, add them when cooking potatoes or meat.
You can freeze raw mushrooms for the winter, and also boil, fry in a pan or dry. Boil them for 10 - 15 minutes in salted water, then cool, unfold in a container and sent to the refrigerator directly into the freezer.
Also, these mushrooms are frozen in the freezer, previously fried. For this, the prepared mushrooms are fried over low heat with the addition of vegetable oil until the moisture evaporates, cooled, packaged and stored in a refrigerator at low temperature. As a result, after defrosting, such semi-finished products do not require additional heat treatment and reduce the time for cooking.
Defrost rules
Champignons frozen in the freezer or fresh are popular among cooks. So that frozen champignons do not lose their taste, it is important not to exceed the shelf life and properly defrost them. In the freezer, in raw form, they are stored at a temperature of -18 ° C for no more than 8 months, at -20 ° C - up to one year. The shelf life of fried or boiled is much less - no more than three months.
Frozen mushrooms should be thawed gradually in a natural way or using the appropriate microwave mode, in small portions, so as not to freeze again. From this, they become stiff and lose their taste. And when cooking some dishes (soups, casseroles and other hot snacks) they should not be defrosted to avoid moisture loss.
Conclusion
Freezing champignons at home is quite simple. The process allows you to save their taste and useful properties.
Like any other mushrooms, they should be used with caution by people who have problems with the digestive system, suffering from pancreatitis, an ulcer, and impaired liver function.
