It is often found that chanterelles are bitter after freezing. The bitter taste is present in this type of mushroom by nature, but it is often enhanced. To prevent this situation, you need to know the rules of harvesting and storage of crops. If it was not possible to remove the bitterness, everything is corrected during cooking.
Ways to combat bitterness in chanterelles
The causes of bitterness
There are two reasons why the taste of chanterelles contains bitterness: errors in harvesting and improper harvesting of mushrooms for storage.
Wrong harvest
Chanterelle mushrooms are bitter if they were harvested at the wrong time - in dry land. Also, taste depends on the place of growth. It is not worth picking mushrooms near highways, large industrial enterprises: they absorb toxic substances. Bitterness is also characteristic of chanterelles that are near conifers or surrounded by moss.
Inexperienced mushroom pickers may accidentally put in the basket false chanterelles that have unpleasant bitterness. They are distinguished by the bright orange color of the hats (in real ones it is rich yellow). The bitter taste quickly spreads to other mushrooms, so you should learn to distinguish edible from poisonous.
Wrong stocking
Chanterelles also bitter after freezing, if they are not processed according to the rules. To prevent this from happening, perform the following actions:
- cleaned of garbage, cut out rotted places, reject low-quality;
- washed several times;
- pour cold salted water;
- after 1.5-2 hours, drained and dried.
Manipulations are performed immediately after collection. If the product lies for a certain time, it will accumulate a lot of toxic substances.
Before freezing, you need to boil the mushrooms
Some housewives harvest mushrooms raw, but then frozen Chanterelles are bitter. To get rid of an unpleasant taste, they are pre-boiled (first 10 minutes, then change the water and until cooked). The cooled fruits are laid out in sealed containers. They are placed in small portions in the freezer (the product cannot be re-frozen). Frozen boiled mushrooms are more compact than raw ones. This helps save space.
For the first dishes, mushrooms are frozen along with the broth in which they were cooked. This is a convenient way for future cooking, because it does not require defrosting. Briquettes extracted from the freezer are immediately thrown into the pan.
Larger chanterelles are bitter after freezing, so it is worth choosing small specimens (hats should not open). They have more nutrients.
How to get rid of bitterness thawed mushrooms
When Chanterelles are bitter after freezing, it is worth trying to remove the unpleasant taste. To do this, the mushrooms are thawed at room temperature or placed in cold water.
If heat treatment has not been performed before freezing, perform the following actions:
- soaked overnight in cold salted water;
- boil (up to 8 min.), adding salt or a pinch of citric acid, drain and replace the water.
If the bitter chanterelles were pre-cooked, after defrosting, they should be pickled or cooked by adding spices: bay leaf, cloves, peas, dill - or vinegar.
If all the recommendations are fulfilled, and the vegetables give the dish a bitter taste, the reason often lies in low-quality sunflower oil. A product that is burnt during cooking may also produce bitterness. In this case, add sour cream or mayonnaise to it and simmer for 15 minutes.
How to get rid of bitterness dried chanterelles
If the fruiting bodies had a bitter taste, it will remain not only when frozen. Dried chanterelles will also be bitter. To remove an unpleasant aftertaste, one of the following methods will help:
- Pour cold salted water for 5-8 hours. Change it throughout the day several times, otherwise acidification will occur.
- Dip completely in warm milk. Leave on for 2-3 hours.
Then dried vegetables should be boiled again. Spices and citric acid are added to the broth.
Conclusion
There is one plus when chanterelle mushrooms are bitter: they are not affected by parasites. People who often consume these fruits get used to a specific taste. These mushrooms are not harmful to health, if properly collected.
If you do not like the bitter taste, be sure to prevent its presence. Then, frozen vegetables will become a quality ingredient for preparing delicious dishes in the cold season.
