Porcini mushrooms surprisingly combine bright taste and healthy benefits, as well as a large distribution in the forests.
They have the most familiar appearance in spruce forests, namely a dark hat and a white leg. In the birch forests, their top is lighter, which allows inexperienced mushroom pickers to confuse them with some inedible species. They grow from the second half of August until late autumn, and therefore the hostesses can be content with them for a very long time, especially if they are prepared for the winter. So, freezing of porcini mushrooms is extremely convenient, because it preserves their properties. But canning, drying and other types of blanks are also used. However, all this somewhat reduces the benefits and dulls their true taste, while mushrooms after freezing practically do not differ from fresh ones. But it is the composition that allows them to be attributed to the first category, since they have a high content of riboflavin, essential amino acids, potassium and phosphates. And the soup cooked from them will be 7 times more calorie than meat, which allows you to safely eat them in the winter season, as well as when switching to vegetarianism.
Freezing technology
Porcini mushroom, which can be frozen both in raw and in finished form, must first be properly prepared. For this, mushrooms that are dense in consistency and small in size should be selected so that they do not need to be cut. It is also important that they are well cleaned, washed, preferably intact and sufficiently dried. Freezing wet mushrooms threatens to violate the neat structure of the product, and when defrosting, instead of the expected result, you will get only an unformed mass. Next, you should choose in which form (fresh, boiled or fried) you will harvest the product. In the first case, ceps should be frozen in small portions, based on one dish, as well as with a minimum amount of air in a bag or container.
If you want to boil them first, then a ten-minute heat treatment without salt is enough. And after complete cooling and drying, you can safely put them in the freezer. And porcini mushrooms should be fried in sunflower oil until the liquid evaporates, also without the use of spices.
Product application
In any case, freezing ceps is a sure way to keep the product almost unchanged for a long time. However, this period should not exceed two years, and the best option is one year, that is, until the next harvest. After defrosting, mushrooms can be used in any dishes: cook soups on their basis, make salads, fry with stew and potatoes or other vegetables. During heat treatment, they do not darken. The dish will be not only tasty and rich, but also pleasant in appearance. It will be very beneficial to use them in fillings for pies, julienne and buns, as well as in hot and casseroles. Rest assured, porcini mushroom will enrich any dish with its rich taste and nutrients.