Many people are used to including mushrooms in their meals because of their flavour and the nutritious value. Even though it is widely accepted in the culinary world that mushrooms should be used fresh in order to optimize its taste and texture, you also can freeze mushrooms and preserve them for later use. Whether you grow mushrooms at home or had to buy a big amount of mushrooms because they were sold at a discounted price, you should know how to freeze mushrooms.
Mushrooms can be kept fresh in the refrigerator for about a week. If you are unable to finish consuming them within a week, you need to learn how to store them in the freezer.
Only the mushrooms that are in good condition should be frozen. This guide reviews the important factors you need to know when freezing mushrooms.
How Can I Freeze Mushrooms?
First, you should select mushrooms that look and smell good. Make sure that you don’t choose any rotten ones with dark spots or wrinkled appearance. Next, mushrooms should be cleaned well by just brushing away the dirt. Try as much as possible not to use water when cleaning because it can make mushrooms pulpy. After cutting the ends of the raw mushrooms, they are placed on a tray lined with parchment and frozen. After freezing, they are put into Ziploc freezer bags without letting air inside the bags.
If you don’t want to freeze raw mushrooms, you can also blanch them by steaming. First, select mushrooms of equal size and soak them in a mixture of lemon juice, citric acid and water for around five minutes. Then, mushrooms are steamed by placing them in a steamer basket and keeping it over boiling water. Next, blanched mushrooms should be cooled, stored in airtight containers and frozen. Mushrooms steamed and frozen in this way can be used when preparing dishes like pizza and quiche. For better results, make sure that you consume frozen steamed mushrooms within a year.
You may also freeze sautéed mushrooms. For this purpose, you need to sauté mushrooms in butter or oil and add some seasonings if you like. After letting mushrooms cool, you can pack them in airtight bags or containers and freeze. Sautéed mushrooms can also be used in preparing delicious dishes.
How to Freeze Portobello Mushrooms?
Portobello mushrooms cooked and packed in Ziploc bags or airtight containers can be kept in the freezer for months. It is better to cook Portobello mushrooms before storing them in the freezer because raw mushrooms can’t be frozen well.
How to Freeze Shiitake Mushrooms?
Shiitake mushrooms must be sautéed in butter or oil and seasoned well before freezing because raw mushrooms can’t be frozen well. After sautéing, allow them to cool down. Next, put them into airtight containers and freeze. Cooked and frozen shiitake mushrooms can be kept in good condition for about two months.
Can I Freeze Stuffed Mushrooms?
Whether you plan to make a large batch of stuffed mushrooms ahead of time for a party or decide to save the leftover for later use, you need to know how to freeze stuffed mushrooms. This is how you can freeze stuffed mushrooms without baking them.
After stuffing mushrooms caps with your favourite filing, you need to place them on a baking tray lined with a parchment paper with the stuffed side of the mushroom facing upwards. Like this, you can freeze the mushrooms for around three hours. If you want to extend the storage period, you need to freeze stuffed mushrooms in Ziploc bags or airtight containers. If done correctly, frozen mushrooms will be in good condition for about three months.
Frozen stuffed mushrooms don’t require thawing. When you decide to eat or serve your stuffed mushrooms, you just have to bake it in their frozen state until the filling turns into golden brown.
Defrosting and Cooking Frozen Mushrooms
You can defrost frozen mushrooms by just taking them out from the freezer and let them rest in the refrigerator overnight until mushrooms become soft and ready to use. You need to refrigerate the frozen mushrooms only if you plan to use them for a dish that won’t be cooked long enough to heat and cook the frozen mushrooms. If you wish to add frozen mushrooms for dishes that require cooking such as stews, casseroles, pizza toppings, pasta, quinoa, rice and soups, you don’t need to thaw them in the refrigerator. You can cook mushrooms along with the dish you plan to prepare.
Does Freezing of Mushrooms affect their texture and flavour?
Raw mushrooms are liable to get mushy when frozen and thawed because mushrooms contain a high percentage of water. This will affect the texture, smell and the flavour of the mushrooms. It is better to clean mushrooms first, then sauté or cook them and freeze them to preserve the taste of the mushrooms.
Even though storing mushrooms for later use is good for your purse and reduce food wastage, you should always keep in mind that keeping in the freezer for a long period will result in the loss of some important nutrients. Freezing can cause the loss of some vitamins.
Conclusion
Imagine you just heard that there’s a profitable deal for mushrooms in the supermarket. You may wonder whether to buy a big amount of mushrooms at the discounted price or not. We suggest you buy them because you can freeze mushrooms! You can freeze them either raw or cooked. But for better results, we recommend you to freeze well-sautéed mushrooms because you can keep them for about a year. A separate defrosting process is not necessary for thawing frozen mushrooms. You can just heat and cook them along with the dish you prepare. This guide compiled after thorough research expounds some important factors you need to know when freezing mushrooms.
