How to cook and preserve chanterelles

The great thing about the chanterelle is that even a beginner can handle it in the kitchen. It is almost never wormy, holds its shape well and doesn't go mushy. Still, a few tricks are worth knowing so the mushroom doesn't turn bitter, stays firm and keeps its fruity aroma, both fresh and in your winter stores.

Let's follow the chanterelle's whole journey through the kitchen: from cleaning to frying, freezing and drying.

How to clean chanterelles

Cleaning chanterelles is easy, because the mushroom grows clean and is almost never wormy.

Usually it's enough to shake off the forest debris, pick the needles and leaves out of the ridges under the cap and trim the dirty bottom of the stem. You hardly need to check the flesh for worms, because the chanterelle is naturally protected against them.

It's best to wash chanterelles quickly under running water, without leaving them to soak. The mushroom holds its shape well, but excess water will turn frying into steaming. After washing, tip the chanterelles into a colander and let them drain.

How to fry chanterelles

Frying is the best way to bring out the chanterelle's flavor, and there's one main trick to it.

1. First, cook off the moisture. Put the chanterelles in a dry or lightly greased pan and keep them over medium heat until they release their juice.
2. Then add fat. Once the moisture has evaporated, add oil or butter and fry until golden.
3. Add the onion later. So it doesn't burn, add it when the mushrooms are almost done.
4. Salt at the end. Salting early draws out the juice, and the mushrooms stew instead of frying.

This order gives you firm, golden chanterelles rather than soggy ones. A spoonful of sour cream and fresh herbs go nicely at the end.

Do chanterelles need boiling?

Unlike many mushrooms, the chanterelle doesn't have to be boiled first.

It's a safe mushroom with no deadly poisonous look-alikes, so pre-boiling isn't a safety requirement. People do it only to soften the slightly rubbery flesh of older mushrooms or before pickling.

If you're sure of the species, young chanterelles can go straight into the pan. But when it comes to identifying the mushroom itself, extra caution never hurts: check our piece on chanterelle look-alikes so you don't confuse it with the false one.

How to preserve chanterelles for winter

The chanterelle keeps well in several ways, so stocking up is easy.

• Freezing them fried. The most reliable method. The chanterelles are fried first, cooled and then frozen. Raw frozen ones often turn bitter, so fried ones come out best.
• Drying. Chanterelles are dried in an oven or dehydrator at a low temperature. Dried ones work well in soups and sauces, though their aroma is weaker.
• Pickling. Young chanterelles are pickled in a spiced brine. Before that they're boiled so they release their excess water.

It's worth remembering why fresh frozen chanterelles often turn bitter while fried ones don't: it's the heat treatment that removes the slight bitterness. We write more about the chanterelle's benefits and freshness in a separate article.

Sources

• “Key to the Fungi of Ukraine” (Kyiv, Naukova Dumka publishing house).
• Cantharellus cibarius in GBIF, the global biodiversity database.
• Cantharellus cibarius in MycoBank, the international fungal nomenclature database.
• Cantharellus cibarius on Wikipedia.