How to freeze chanterelles for the winter: 4 ways

Chanterelles are considered one of the varieties of the most useful mushrooms. They got their name due to the characteristic red color. Chanterelles - mostly forest mushrooms, famous for their unique taste and pleasant aroma. Mushrooms contain many nutrients and vitamins, while remaining low-calorie.

Features of preparing chanterelles for freezing

1. This type of mushroom loses a little taste and aroma when marinating, so they should mostly be consumed fresh. Chanterelles are often frozen for the winter in various ways.
2. To freeze the mushrooms, you need freshly harvested specimens with no defects. Chanterelles are also famous for the fact that they cannot be wormy.Therefore, before freezing is worth paying attention to strong and whole fruit.
3. The rest of the mushrooms is better to use in the near future. Do not cool freshly harvested chanterelles, because after such manipulations, they will acquire bitterness. After collecting the mushrooms you need to prepare them for long-term storage in the shortest possible time.
4. If the mushrooms are prepared quickly enough, later in use you will retain the maximum properties of chanterelles. The shelf life of freshly picked mushrooms in the freezer is up to 5 months.

Method number 1. Freezing raw chanterelles

1. If you are going to freeze mushrooms in raw form, you will need freshly harvested specimens. There is a high probability that if chanterelles are not heat treated, they may taste bitter.
2. To avoid such an oversight, cooks recommend that you carefully consider the sorting of mushrooms. To freeze fresh chanterelles, choose only dense specimens without any hints of damage. They should also not be large or dry.
3. In any case, freezing raw chanterelles, you risk running into a similar problem.Keep the mushrooms in this form or not, you decide. After packing, wipe each fruit with a paper towel, while you do not need to wash the chanterelles.
4. Carrying out the manipulation without water will help to better maintain the quality of the product. After processing, send the chanterelles to the freezer on a tray, putting them in one layer. The freezing procedure lasts 12-15 hours.
5. After the allotted time, mushrooms can be poured into portion packets or food containers. Next, re-place the chanterelles in the freezer and store until use. The temperature of the chamber should be below -16 degrees.

Method number 2. Frozen fried chanterelles

1. Take the required number of mushrooms, almost any specimens are suitable for frying. It is worth getting rid of spoiled ones. If you have collected chanterelles yourself, it is undesirable to wash them.
2. Scrutinize the mushrooms, get rid of excess twigs, leaves and possible dirt. Then send the chanterelles to the pan with a small amount of vegetable oil. Cooking time is on average 20 minutes.
3. Make sure that the mushrooms evaporated excess liquid, and chanterelles themselves covered with a ruddy crust.To fry the product should be without adding any spices and components other than the oil itself.
4. It is forbidden to roast on animal fat. Otherwise, the mushrooms can get vents, the shelf life will be reduced to 1 month. After roasting in vegetable oil, put the chanterelles on paper towels, wait until they cool down completely.
5. Next pack the mushrooms convenient for you. Send for long-term storage in the freezer. The undoubted advantage of chanterelles is that they do not need to be cooked before frying.

Method number 3. Freeze chanterelles in the form of broth

1. This option is considered ideal if you plan to cook the soup. Prepare chanterelles using the standard method, eliminate debris and bad specimens. Pour enough water into heat-resistant containers, wait for boiling.
2. After the appearance of the first bubbles, add salt and pepper to taste. You can also add fresh chopped greens. Send the mushrooms to the total mass in the pan, thoroughly stir the composition. Cook chanterelles for about 7 minutes.
3. Then fold them in a colander, while keeping the broth.Wait until the mushrooms and liquid have cooled. Take a food container, put food clips in it or a plastic bag.
4. Place the mushrooms in a bowl, pour the chanterelles with the cooled broth. Send the finished product in the freezer for a couple of hours. After curing, remove the compound from the container by pulling on the polyethylene.
5. Place the resulting pre-briquette in a bag, and then re-send it to the freezer until the appropriate time of use. On the basis of the semi-finished product you can make a delicious soup or a second course.

Method number 4. Frozen boiled chanterelles

1. The clear advantage of boiled chanterelles is that you do not risk leaving bitterness in the mushrooms. Carefully sort the product, get rid of extraneous garbage. If necessary, cut the large pieces in two.
2. Pour water into the cooking utensils so that it turns out to be 2 times more than mushrooms. Wait for boiling, add 15-20 grams. rock salt per 1 kg. product. Then add the desired number of chanterelles.
3. The duration of cooking mushrooms is 6 minutes. If a film forms during the process, immediately dispose of it.Chanterelles can be cooked a little longer, but then you risk the fact that the mushrooms lose their former flavor and taste.
4. After the main manipulation, place the chanterelles on a sieve or in a colander, wait until the liquid has completely drained. Next, put the mushrooms on a towel, let the chanterelles dry.
5. Ignoring the advice, excess moisture will stand out and turn into ice. There is nothing terrible in it, only the aesthetic appearance of the product will deteriorate. Place the mushrooms on a tray, send to the camera for 12 hours. After that, place the portions in containers, re-send to the camera for a long time.

How to defrost chanterelles correctly

1. To defrost mushrooms in an appropriate manner, it is necessary to divide the actions into stages. Get the frozen product and send it to the coldest shelf of the refrigerator. Periodically open the door to monitor the process.
2. Once the ice has thawed a little, place the mushrooms at room temperature. It is forbidden to accelerate the defrosting of chanterelles using a microwave oven. Try to use the right amount of mushrooms in a short time.
3. It is also forbidden to repeat the freezing procedure. Initially, calculate the approximate number of mushrooms for cooking any dish.
4. If you frozen chanterelles in various ways, initially it is worth signing packages or containers. Explain exactly how you performed the procedure.

It is easy to prepare chanterelles for the winter, if you follow simple tips. From defrosted chanterelles you can cook almost all dishes, there are no restrictions. Add mushrooms to the basic compositions, in pastries or salads. Choose the most appropriate method of freezing or use each of them.

Video: Chanterelles for the winter in butter