Preserve Fresh Mushrooms

Fresh mushrooms purchased from a store or harvested from the wild can be used many months later if stored correctly. There are many different kinds of mushrooms and many different ways to preserve them, so perfecting the method will require some trial and error, but the basic methods outlined here should work for the more common types of mushrooms available from fruit and vegetable suppliers.

Steps

Freezing cooked mushrooms[1]

  1. Wash the mushrooms thoroughly in cold water.
  2. Trim off the ends of the stems if necessary. If the mushrooms are larger than 1 inch / 2.5 cm across, either slice them, or cut them into quarters.
  3. Decide whether you will steam or fry the mushrooms. Mushrooms can be steamed or heated in fat in a fry pan. The deciding factor might be taste preference, or your desire to keep the mushrooms longer, as steamed mushrooms will keep about three months longer than those cooked in fat.

Steaming mushrooms

  1. Treat the mushrooms to prevent discoloration. Mushrooms that are going to be steamed will retain a better color if they are given an anti-darkening treatment first. To do this, dip the prepared mushrooms for 5 minutes in a solution containing 1 teaspoon lemon juice or 1 1/2 teaspoons of citric acid mixed into a pint of water.
  2. Steam the mushrooms. The steaming time is as follows:
    • Whole mushrooms - 5 minutes
    • Buttons or quarters - 3 1/2 minutes
    • Slices - 3 minutes.
  3. Cool promptly on removal by removing from the steam. Drain and package. Leave 1/2 an inch (1.27 cm) of headspace.
  4. Seal and freeze. Steamed mushrooms will freeze for up to one year.[2]

Frying mushrooms

  1. Use a frying pan to heat. Heat small quantities of mushrooms in margarine or butter in an open frying pan until almost done. Cool by air or set the pan in which the mushrooms were cooked in cold water. Pack into containers, leaving 1/2-inch / 1.27 cm headspace. Seal and freeze. Fat-fried mushrooms will last for up to nine months in the freezer.[2]

Blanching and Freezing

  1. Wash the mushrooms.
  2. Cut the mushrooms into slices or quarters if required.
  3. Drain the mushrooms. Then plunge them directly into a pot of boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes after the water boils.
  4. Remove the blanched mushrooms by tipping into a sieve or a colander.
  5. Plunge the mushrooms into cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain.
  6. Place them in plastic freezer containers. Leave a little headspace.
  7. Seal and freeze.

Freezing uncooked morel or morel-type mushrooms

Some mushrooms will thaw into a soggy mush if preserved in the manner outlined next. However, this may work with some kinds of mushrooms that have a certain thick and coarser texture, like morels.[3]
  1. Wash a quantity of fresh morel mushrooms under running tap water. The mushrooms can be sliced according to preference, or preserved whole.
  2. Add a teaspoon of vegetable oil to the mushrooms and mix well.
  3. Place the washed whole or sliced mushrooms into a plastic freezer bag. Place in the freezer and freeze for as long as required, for up to three months.
  4. Thaw. When required, remove from the freezer and cook. No thawing will be necessary. Just add the contents into a cooking pan until all moisture and excess water evaporates, creating your mushroom dish from scratch.

Duxelles

Duxelles is a finely chopped or minced mixture of mushrooms with additions such as onions, herbs, and butter.[4] This method provides a neat "small storage" solution for keeping mushrooms but it is very short term - approximately one week in the refrigerator and up to one month in the freezer.[5]
  1. Wash and dry the mushrooms.
  2. Chop or mince the mushrooms finely.
  3. Cook the chopped mushrooms and onions with butter in a skillet until softened. Add fresh herbs of your choice (make sure that these are finely minced or chopped too). Make Parsley Pesto is a traditional addition.
  4. Add a splash of wine or sherry for extra flavor.
  5. Freeze in a container. Add the date so that you know when to use it by.
  6. Use to add zip to cooked chicken breasts, or in cream of mushroom soup.



Warnings

  • Always be sure that you are using edible mushrooms before cooking, preserving, and eating them. If there is any doubt, do not consume them.

Things You'll Need

  • Steamer or fry pan
  • Cutting board and knife
  • Bowl
  • Colander or sieve
  • Containers suitable for freezing
  • Plastic freezer bags, or similar sealing agent

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/freeze/mushroom.html
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mushroom Appreciation, Steaming mushrooms
  3. ↑ http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/293924
  4. ↑ Wikipedia, Duxelles
  5. ↑ Group Recipes, Duxelles
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