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 are mainly forest mushrooms, famous for their unique taste and pleasant aroma. Mushrooms contain many nutrients and vitamins, while remaining low in calories.

Features of preparing chanterelles for freezing

1. This variety of mushrooms loses its taste and aroma a little when pickling, so they should mainly be consumed fresh. Often, chanterelles are frozen for the winter in various ways.
2. To freeze mushrooms, you will need freshly harvested specimens that have no defects. Also, chanterelles are famous for the fact that they cannot be worms. Therefore, before freezing, pay attention to strong and whole fruits.
3. The remaining mushrooms are best consumed in the near future. Do not cool the freshly picked chanterelles, because after such manipulations they will gain bitterness. After collecting the mushrooms, they need to be prepared for long-term storage as soon as possible.
4. If you prepare the mushrooms quickly enough, later on when you eat you will preserve the maximum properties of the 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 raw mushrooms, you will need freshly picked specimens. There is a high probability that if chanterelles are not cooked, they may be bitter.
2. To avoid such a mistake, culinary experts recommend that you carefully consider sorting mushrooms. To freeze fresh chanterelles, choose only dense specimens without a hint of damage. They also should not be large or dry.
3. In any case, freezing raw chanterelles, you run the risk of a similar problem. To store mushrooms in this form or not, you decide. After packing, wipe each fruit with a paper towel; you do not need to wash the chanterelles.
4. Ongoing manipulation without water will help to better maintain product quality. After processing, send the chanterelles to the freezer on the tray, laying them in one layer. The freezing procedure lasts 12-15 hours.
5. After the allotted time, the mushrooms can be poured into portioned packets or food containers. Next, re-place the chanterelles in the freezer and store until use. The temperature of the camera should be below -16 degrees.

Method number 2. Freeze fried chanterelles

1. Take the required number of mushrooms, almost any specimen is suitable for frying. It is worth getting rid of only the spoiled ones. If you yourself collected chanterelles, washing them is undesirable.
2. Look carefully at the mushrooms, get rid of excess twigs, leaves and possible dirt. After that, send the chanterelles to the pan with a small amount of vegetable oil. The average cooking time is 20 minutes.
3. Make sure that excess liquid evaporates from the mushrooms, and the chanterelles themselves are covered with a rosy crust. Fry the product without adding any spices and ingredients other than the oil itself.
4. It is forbidden to fry on animal fat. Otherwise, mushrooms can find vents, the shelf life will be reduced to 1 month. After frying in vegetable oil, put the chanterelles on paper towels, wait until they cool completely.
5. Next, pack the mushrooms in a way 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. Chanterelle freezing in the form of broth

1. This option is considered ideal if you plan to cook soup. Prepare the chanterelles in a standard way, get rid of garbage and bad specimens. Pour enough water into a heat-resistant container, wait for it to boil.
2. After the first bubbles appear, add salt and pepper to taste. You can also add fresh chopped herbs. Send the mushrooms to the total mass in the pan, mix thoroughly. Cook the chanterelles for about 7 minutes.
3. Then throw them in a colander, save the broth at the same time. Wait until the mushrooms and liquid have cooled. Take a food container, put a cling film or plastic bag in it.
4. Place the mushrooms in a container, pour the chanterelles with a cooled broth. Send the finished product to the freezer for a couple of hours. After hardening, remove the composition from the container by pulling on the polyethylene.
5. Place the resulting briquette in a bag, and then re-send it to the freezer until the right time for use. On the basis of the semi-finished product, you can cook a delicious soup or a second dish.

Method number 4. Frozen boiled chanterelles

1. The obvious advantage of boiled chanterelles is that you do not risk leaving bitterness in the mushrooms. Carefully sort the product, get rid of extraneous garbage. Large copies, if necessary, cut in half.
2. Pour water into the cookware with the calculation that it will turn out 2 times more than mushrooms. Wait for boiling, pour 15-20 gr. 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, dispose of it immediately. Chanterelles can be cooked a little longer, but then you risk that the mushrooms will lose their former aroma and taste.
4. After the main manipulation, place the chanterelles on a sieve or in a colander, wait for the liquid to drain completely. Next, put the mushrooms on a waffle towel, let the chanterelles dry.
5. Neglecting the advice, excess moisture will stand out and turn into ice. There is nothing wrong with this, only the aesthetic appearance of the product will deteriorate. Place the mushrooms on a tray, send to the chamber for 12 hours. After that, place them in containers in portions, re-send them to the chamber for a long time.

How to defrost chanterelles correctly

1. To defrost mushrooms in an appropriate way, you need to divide the steps into steps. Take out the frozen food and send it to the coldest shelf of the refrigerator. Open the door periodically 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 carry out a repeated freezing procedure. Initially, calculate the approximate number of mushrooms for cooking a dish.
4. In case you have chanterelles frozen in various ways, you should initially sign packages or containers. Explain what method you performed the procedure.

It is easy to prepare chanterelles for the winter, if you follow simple tips. Almost all dishes can be prepared from thawed chanterelles, there are no restrictions. Add mushrooms to the main ingredients, in baked goods or salads. Choose the most suitable way to freeze or use each of them.

Video: chanterelles for the winter in butter