How to freeze mushrooms for winter

Freezing is probably the easiest and most convenient way to preserve mushrooms. You need neither an oven nor sterilization, and the mushrooms stay close to fresh: in winter you just take them out of the freezer and toss them into a dish. Still, there are nuances: some mushrooms are frozen raw, others only after boiling, and some turn bitter without cooking.

Let's look at how to freeze different mushrooms properly, so they're tasty and safe in winter.

Which mushrooms to freeze raw

Firm mushrooms that don't need boiling first are frozen raw.

These are above all boletes: young porcini, brown birch boletes, aspen boletes and Xerocomus boletes. Clean them, slice if needed and freeze them fresh. These mushrooms keep their shape and aroma, and in winter you cook them just like fresh ones.

The main rule: freeze only young, firm, clean mushrooms on the same day you picked them. Old or long-stored mushrooms are no good for freezing.

Which mushrooms are better boiled first

Some mushrooms are worth boiling or frying before freezing.

• **Honey fungus** and other mushrooms that need boiling are frozen only after cooking. They are never frozen raw, for safety reasons.
• **Chanterelles** are best frozen after frying: raw frozen chanterelles often turn bitter. Frying removes the bitterness.
• Gilled mushrooms are generally safer to boil before freezing.

Let boiled or fried mushrooms cool, drain off the excess moisture, and only then freeze them. More on honey fungus in our piece on cleaning and cooking it, and on chanterelles in the article on preserving them.

How to freeze them properly

A few simple steps make for a good freeze.

1. Prepare the mushrooms. Clean them, boil or fry if needed, let them cool and drain.
2. Divide into portions. Pack enough for one dish, because thawed mushrooms must not be refrozen.
3. Remove the air. Use bags or containers with the excess air pressed out, so the mushrooms don't get covered in frost.
4. Label and date. That way you'll know what you froze and when.

Excess water is the main enemy: it turns into ice and ruins the texture, so let the mushrooms drain well before freezing.

How to store and thaw

Frozen mushrooms keep for up to a year in the freezer.

It's best to thaw them gradually in the fridge, or put them straight into the dish without thawing, especially boiled and fried ones. Thawed mushrooms must not be refrozen: they lose flavor and texture and can spoil.

Freezing is a great way to stretch the mushroom season across the whole year. Together with drying and pickling, it lets you put up your harvest to suit any taste.

Sources

• “Field Guide to the Fungi of Ukraine” (Kyiv, Naukova Dumka publishing house).
• Boletus edulis in GBIF, the global biodiversity database.
• Fungi in MycoBank, the international fungal nomenclature database.
• Frozen food on Wikipedia.