The procurement of mushrooms collected in Primorye has its own specifics. We rarely dry mushrooms for a reason: rainy summer and constant fogs that, even in forty-degree heat, suffocate residents without dissipating. If you can still dry mushrooms using ovens, attics and closets, then preserving them until the dry season (starting in September) is practically very, very difficult.
In our glorious land, mushrooms appear in waves and starting from June, you can harvest porcini mushrooms, boletus, obabaki three times during the summer and autumn, and honey mushrooms almost from May to November.
Some useful tips on the preparation of mushrooms for future use, tested by me personally and used by many of my friends, I have outlined on these pages.
All are suitable for drying edible species tubular mushrooms, but when dried they turn black, which is why they are called black mushrooms, in contrast to white ones, which are more aromatic and do not change color when dry. Dried champignons and meadow mushrooms are very good, their aroma is not much inferior to the porcini mushroom. You can also dry real and summer honey mushrooms, elmaki, common mushrooms, govo-ruskn, funnel mushrooms, chanterelles, hedgehogs, morels and stitches; the latter are losing theirs poisonous properties after drying. Auricularia (tree ears) are also suitable for drying, which should be soaked in water before use. cold water for the night.
Mushrooms intended for drying, as we have already said, should never be washed, as they will dry worse. You just need to cut off the lower part of the leg with the soil adhering to it (if this was not done in the forest during collection), clean it of any debris and, if necessary, wipe them with a cloth.
Drying is considered the most in a convenient way harvesting mushrooms for future use, but in conditions Far East, where the weather is usually wet during the mushroom season and there are no facilities for individual drying, this method of harvesting mushrooms is not very common.
Mushrooms, except for the smallest ones, can be cut along the stem; through the cap in half, and the largest ones - in slices into several parts.
To obtain a more beautiful product, mushrooms should be dried in two stages: first dried at a lower temperature (40-50°), and then dried at 70°. At home, you can first dry the mushrooms, even in the air if the weather is sunny, or over the stove, and then dry them in the oven, but do not allow the temperature to rise above 70-75°. To prevent the mushrooms from burning and steaming, keep the oven door ajar. It is best to dry mushrooms over the stove and in the sun, strung on strong threads, on nets placed on bricks, etc. Mushrooms are considered dried when they become light and brittle. If dried mushrooms Stored in an insufficiently dry room, they should be dried after two months.
Both young and old mushrooms are used for drying, which give a more aromatic broth, and even mushrooms with wormholes.
The uses of dried mushrooms are very diverse. Dried mushrooms are good for adding fat and seasoning to soups. You can cook delicious vegetarian first courses with dried mushrooms. They are used for sauces, fillings of pies, pies, dumplings, meat and potato zraza, and for preparing mushroom caviar.
Methods for drying mushrooms:
- dry in the shade in sunny weather
- dry in the attic
- in the oven or electric oven
- in a special electric dryer
- dry in the microwave
- in a dry heated bath
Almost everything can be prepared in dried form. edible mushrooms, except for mushrooms that have a pungent or bitter taste. It is preferable to dry tubular and morel mushrooms (ceps, boletus mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, boletus mushrooms). When dried, everything is preserved nutritional quality mushrooms The aroma of some mushrooms is even enhanced by this method of preparation, as, for example, porcini mushroom. Mushrooms can be considered dried if they are dry and light to the touch, bend slightly when pressed lightly, and break when pressed hard. From 10 kg of fresh porcini mushrooms you can get approximately 1.5 kg of dried ones if the mushrooms are young and 1 kg if the mushrooms are mature. After drying, the water content in mushrooms decreases from 90 to 10-14 percent. Thus, from 10 kg of fresh mushrooms only 1-1.4 kg of dried mushrooms are obtained.
Drying mushrooms in sunny weather.
On hot days, mushrooms can be dried in the sun or just dried in order to finally dry them at a higher temperature. high temperature on the stove or in the oven. For this purpose, mushrooms are placed on drying trays, thick paper or a dry board.
Mushrooms intended for drying cannot be washed, as they quickly absorb moisture. They must be thoroughly cleaned of dirt and debris with a stiff brush or brush. Heavily contaminated areas should be cut off or wiped with damp gauze, which, due to its structure, captures and removes dirt well. Small mushrooms are dried whole. The caps of large mushrooms are cut into slices, and the legs, depending on their thickness, are either longitudinally (thin) or crosswise into circles (thick). Under no circumstances should mushrooms be placed on an iron baking sheet, as the mushrooms may bake and turn black on it. Drying is carried out in a place protected from rain and dust and well blown by the wind. It is very important that the mushrooms, pre-cut into slices, are dried or dried completely within no more than 1-2 days. In this case, they retain their natural color. Properly dried mushrooms bend; overdried ones crumble.
Drying mushrooms in the attic.
Owners of private houses with an attic are very lucky in this case. Following the rules for drying mushrooms in sunny weather, it is enough to spread the mushrooms in the attic on a prepared rag or parchment and leave them there.
You can do it the old fashioned way - string the mushrooms on a string or drape and hang them under the eaves next to the braids of onions and garlic.
Mushrooms in attics rarely dry out and are spoiled only by mice.
Drying in a special electric dryer.
As a rule, all dryers are multi-tiered. Therefore, the racks with dried mushrooms laid out on them should be periodically swapped to ensure uniform drying. Total time drying one batch for 3-5 hours. In this case, it is advisable to take half-hour breaks every half hour so that the mushrooms do not heat up to the point of burning. First, the mushrooms are dried at a temperature of 45°C. At a higher initial temperature, protein substances are released on the surface of the mushrooms and then dry out,
which worsens the further course of drying and gives the mushrooms a dark color. In this case, the mushrooms become so soft that they cannot be used as food. Only after the surface of the mushrooms has dried and they stop sticking can the temperature be raised to 75-80°C.
Remember that mushrooms intended for drying are not washed, but only cleaned of debris and damaged areas are cut out, since they do not dry well when washed. Fruit bodies are selected by size (large ones are cut into pieces) and laid out on sieves. In this case, the mushrooms should not come into contact with each other.
Drying mushrooms in a Russian bath.
Not many bath lovers like the sauna, but dry heat and ventilation in a well-heated bath will help you dry the mushrooms.
Depending on how your bathhouse is heated, you can dry it in an oven with an open damper, on heating grates with an influx of dry air to remove excess moisture evaporated by mushrooms.
The rest of the drying conditions remain the same - do not wash, peel, cut into pieces and do not allow to touch.
Some notes on drying lamellar mushrooms and toadstools (morels and lines).
Mushrooms like milk mushrooms, russula and the like are dried extremely rarely. But morel mushrooms, which belong to the category of conditionally edible, are dried only in air. They are strung on threads, placed loosely in gauze bags, old nylon stockings and dried in a ventilated dry room for about 5-6 months. During this time, oxygen in the air cleanses toxins and neutralizes the stitches - the mushrooms become suitable for consumption.
If you still decide to dry some mushrooms of this type, you should remember the same rules by which porcini and obabka mushrooms are dried.
Storing dried mushrooms.
To preserve mushrooms for a long time, it is more convenient to place the mushrooms immediately after drying, while they still retain their fragility and warmth, in hermetically sealed glass jars. Jars are sterilized at temperatures above 90°C: half-liter jars for 40 minutes, liter jars for 50 minutes. Dried mushrooms are stored in gauze or linen bags in a well-ventilated place, separate from products with a strong odor that can stink the mushrooms, such as dried smelt or flounder. It is necessary that this room is dry, since dried mushrooms strongly absorb water from environment, especially if they are prepared in the form of mushroom powder. If they are damp, they should be sorted out and dried; this can be done in any way described above. For sterilization when canning mushrooms, you can use following methods: 1. Use a home ionizer (many people still have such devices from Soviet times) and a blower. Blow through the container with mushrooms with ionized air and close the lid tightly.
2. Pour some alcohol onto inner surface lids, light it and immediately close the jar.
When alcohol burns, almost all the oxygen in the jar is consumed, as a result of which the mushrooms will not become moldy, even if they were not sufficiently dried and were placed in a damp room.
I love collecting, cooking and eating mushrooms, treating friends and telling stories about mushroom pickers and forest wanderings.
I wish you luck" quiet hunt" and Bon Appetit!
The mushrooms are coming - the season is in full swing! And again the question arises - how to preserve this valuable product for the winter? The best way- dry! But how to do this correctly and effectively?
Drying is the simplest and most proven method of preserving mushrooms. After drying, the water content in mushrooms decreases from 90 to 10-14 percent. Thus, from 10 kilograms of fresh mushrooms, only 1-1.4 kilograms of dried mushrooms are obtained. Dried mushrooms are easy to store if dried correctly.
Dried mushrooms are used for various purposes: they are used both in the preparation of many dishes and as a seasoning.
The most suitable mushrooms for drying are porcini mushrooms, aspen mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, fly mushrooms, goat mushrooms, chanterelle mushrooms, liver mushrooms, saffron milk caps, and edible morels.
Selected mushrooms are wiped with a dry cloth before drying. They should not be washed, as washed mushrooms do not dry well. Then they are cut into oblong plates 0.5-1 centimeter thick; If possible, mushrooms are cut so that the stems remain connected to the caps. The caps of small, healthy mushrooms can be dried whole or cut into pieces.
Mushroom cutting diagram for drying
Mushrooms are dried in the same dryers that are used for drying fruits and berries. The slices of cut mushrooms are placed on a sieve so that they do not come into contact with each other. First, the mushrooms are dried at a temperature of 45°C. At a higher initial temperature, protein substances are released on the surface of the mushrooms and then dry out, which worsens the further course of drying and gives the mushrooms a dark color. In this case, the mushrooms become so soft that they cannot be used as food.
Only after the mushrooms have dried from the surface and stopped sticking, the temperature in the dryer is raised to 75°C.
The duration of drying and drying of mushrooms cannot be determined accurately. If the mushroom caps and plates are the same size, they dry out in the same time. Dry mushrooms are removed from the sieve, and the rest are dried, turning them over from time to time. Properly dried mushrooms should be fragile, brittle and light in color.
You can dry mushrooms over a gas, wood-burning, electric stove, potbelly stove, kerosene gas or kerosene stove by making a simple device proposed by engineer Lukyanov. To make it, round five-liter herring jars are used. Only the lid is cut off from one jar and the bottom is left. In other jars, the bottom is also removed, leaving only the rims. The jar with the bottom is placed on a heat source, wooden ramrods with strung mushrooms, apple slices, pears, etc. are placed on the jar in the slots (see figure), and several rims are placed on top of each other, in the slots of which and between they insert ramrods. From time to time, the rims are moved from bottom to top, and the ramrods are turned around the axis.
For smaller raw materials, the rims can be turned into sieves by filling holes in a circle and stretching thin cotton twine or coarse thread. Using a similar principle, you can build a dryer for any raw material from any available materials - tin, aluminum, roofing iron, old buckets or aluminum pans and purchased sieves.
Mushrooms must be properly dried before they can be eaten. They are added when preparing soups, sauces, various fillings, and roasts. Porcini mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, aspen mushrooms, fly mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, and hedgehog mushrooms are suitable for drying. If you decide to dry lamellar mushrooms, such as honey mushrooms and chanterelles, then carefully ensure that they do not include poisonous or inedible ones.
When pre-preparing mushrooms before drying, it is enough to clean them with a soft brush and wipe with a dry cloth. Next, the caps are separated from the stems, and large mushrooms are cut.
Mushrooms at home are different. IN good weather you can dry them in the sun. In this case, good ventilation (draft) is necessary. Mushrooms are strung on threads or placed on plywood or cardboard. And they are placed with their caps down.
Remember that you should not crush mushrooms after preliminary preparation for drying. Deformation will reduce the drying rate. In addition, porcini mushrooms will also change color. Special dryers are used for drying. If possible and necessary, then you can use a Russian stove.
With any methods of drying mushrooms at home, it is necessary to subject the already prepared mushrooms to preliminary temperature treatment. You need to dry them for 2-3 hours at a temperature of +40...+50°C. During this time they will lose most moisture. Mushrooms will turn from brittle to flexible. After this treatment, juice will not be released from them even when compressed. The main drying is carried out at a temperature of +70…+80°C. If drying is carried out in a Russian oven, then the temperature should be slightly lower (+60...+70°C). This is due to the fact that the mushrooms can become steamed or burnt. However, if the temperature is very low (below +40°C), the mushrooms will sour. In order to dry them well in a Russian oven, drying is carried out in 2-3 stages. You need to lay straw on the baking sheet. Don't forget to leave the damper open. Otherwise, the mushrooms may become steamed.
A gas oven is also quite suitable for. The required temperature is +50°C. After 2-3 hours, bring the temperature to +70°C and then dry the mushrooms at +50°C. The whole process will take about 7-12 hours. The door must be left ajar. Please note that during the drying process, mushrooms may stick to the baking sheet. In order to avoid this, there are the following ways:
- pre-dry the mushrooms in air;
- dry a little in the oven at a low temperature, and then dry in the sun;
- Place a cloth on a baking sheet.
When drying by hanging or laying out, you can use heat fans and electric fireplaces. In this case, the mushrooms will dry unevenly. Remove dried mushrooms promptly. This way the whole batch will gradually dry out.
If you do not dry the mushrooms and there is excess moisture left in them, they will become moldy. Properly dried mushrooms have the aroma and taste of fresh ones. At the same time, they should bend a little and break with more force. When dried, mushrooms decrease in volume by 10 times.
Dried mushrooms must be stored in a room with good ventilation. Since they absorb moisture and various odors well, it is better to store them separately from other products. Protect them from pickles and marinades, as well as products that can increase the moisture content of the mushrooms or give them an off-odor. If dried mushrooms become damp, they need to be dried as quickly as possible. Mushrooms can be damaged by moths. In order to protect them from this, you must use clean glass jars. Instead of a lid, thick paper is used, which is tied at the neck. The storage room should be dry and dark. This method ensures the preservation of taste and aroma for a long time. Dried mushrooms just need to be soaked in water or salted milk for 1.5-2 hours and they are ready to be used in various dishes.
To prepare mushroom powder, heavily dried mushrooms are ground in a blender or coffee grinder. Porcini mushrooms or champignons are best suited for this. The advantage of the powder is ease of storage, ease of adding to culinary dishes and better absorption.
We all love to indulge in mushrooms, salted or pickled. But how sometimes you want fresh mushroom soup in winter. Canned ones will not work here; here you need to know how to dry mushrooms at home, correctly and in different ways.
Begins mushroom season and our whole families go hunting to collect more forest trophies. We collect them in baskets, buckets, bags, bathtubs, trunks, and simply in our bosom.
But few people know what mushrooms can be dried and how to prepare them; we pick everything, but for home drying you will have to choose well, if half of everything.
While almost all edible mushrooms can be used for all types of canning or pickling, not all are suitable for drying, and they even need to be collected in a special way. Now you and I will figure this out.
How to prepare mushrooms for drying at home
To begin with, let's still decide which mushrooms we will dry in order to treat ourselves to soup or fried with potatoes. So, what mushrooms will we leave for drying?
- Chanterelles
- White
- boletus
- Boletus
- Obabki
- Mokhoviki
In general, only tubular mushrooms are suitable for drying. The lamellar ones contain bitter juice, which, after drying, makes them generally unsuitable for food. and among the lamellar species there are too many poisonous ones that are not so easy to recognize.
How to collect mushrooms for home drying
Before the process of drying mushrooms, they should not be washed or wet at all. To you. I hope it is known that tubular mushrooms absorb water like a sponge and then retain moisture for a long time. Washed mushrooms are unlikely to dry out; they are more likely to become moldy.
The mushrooms that we decide to dry, no matter what method, we go to collect in dry, sunny weather. We choose ones that are not contaminated so that they can only be cleaned with a knife. We make sure that the mushrooms are young, strong, and without wormholes. These are the only ones suitable for us. After the mushrooms are collected, selected and cleaned, we will decide on the method of drying them. Everything is very simple here, choose the most convenient method for you and go ahead, act.
How to dry mushrooms in the oven
Drying mushrooms in the oven is easiest and most convenient if you live in a city apartment. If the mushrooms are too large, they are cut into pieces and laid out in one layer on a wire rack; it must be made of stainless steel. Trays for drying mushrooms are not suitable because air will not circulate.
The oven heats up to 40-60 degrees during drying; you need to place a towel under the door to keep it slightly open. In this form, dry until completely dry.
Determine the degree of drying, whether the mushroom is ready or not ready for long-term storage, you can touch it. over-dried mushrooms become fragile and break, under-dried mushrooms will be too soft, and dried mushrooms are moderately elastic, difficult to bend, but do not crack.
How to dry mushrooms in the microwave
This method is more complicated, and in order to properly dry mushrooms at home in the microwave, you need to be patient and it won’t hurt to gain some experience.
The most important thing for this method is to cut the mushrooms into absolutely equal parts so that they dry for the same amount of time. It is also very important to dry the already prepared, peeled and cut mushrooms a little in the air, this will make the process go faster.
Place the prepared mushrooms directly on the bowl, turn on the power at 180 W and last for twenty minutes. After this, we check whether moisture may be released, it needs to be removed, and the door should be opened for ventilation. After ten minutes, repeat the process. Repeat this until you see that the mushrooms are dried properly.
If you overcooked the mushrooms and they turned out brittle and brittle, don’t worry, you can make an excellent mushroom seasoning, just grind the mushroom pieces in a blender.
How to dry mushrooms at home on a thread
Probably the most ancient way. As long as I remember when I was little, there were mushroom beads hanging around the house, and this wonderful forest smell. Mushrooms, also preferably of the same size, are pierced with a thick needle with a strong nylon or canvas thread inserted. You can hang such “beads” in the house or in any room where there is good air circulation and no humidity. Some people put gauze over the mushrooms to prevent flies.
How to dry mushrooms in an electric dryer
The electric dryer was invented for our convenience, the most best option drying forest products. To dry mushrooms in an electric dryer, they also need to be prepared in a special way; don’t think that if the device is specifically designed for drying, it will dry absolutely everything.
The fact is that the mushrooms need to be cut into plastic, and the thickness of the plastic depends on the drying time. The average thickness is taken to be about 10 cm.
All pieces are evenly distributed over the grid. At a temperature of 55 degrees, you will get well-dried mushrooms in two to three hours.
How to dry porcini mushrooms at home
What can compare with the smell of dried boletus? We specially select them from the forest for drying. They are always clean and beautiful. It's expensive to dry such things.
Porcini mushrooms can also be dried in the oven, cut into plastic pieces and laid out in one layer on a mesh or wire rack. The drying temperature is 60-75 degrees, the time is usually about two to three hours, depending on the thickness of the plastic.
Also, cut into slices, the white ones are dried in an electric dryer. You can also dry them in a regular dryer. fresh air, just make sure there is no direct sunlight.
You can dry porcini mushrooms on a string by separating the caps from the stems. The legs can be immediately fried with potatoes, and the caps can be dried
How to store dried mushrooms
It’s all very simple, I use fabric or paper bags for storage and simply store it in the kitchen in the top cabinet, where there is no humidity or strong odors. You can also place a salt shaker next to the bag so that the salt absorbs excess moisture. You also shouldn’t forget about the mushrooms and come and check them from time to time.
How to dry mushrooms at home, video
Ecology of consumption. Life hack: Let's look at ways to dry mushrooms in the microwave, on a Russian oven, in the sun, in the oven, as well as a method for making mushroom powder...
Let's consider methods of drying mushrooms in the microwave, on a Russian oven, in the sun, in the oven, as well as the method of making mushroom powder.
Drying is one of the simplest and available ways mushroom preparations. Dried mushrooms keep well for a long time. In terms of nutritional value and digestibility, they are superior to salted and pickled mushrooms.
However, not all edible mushrooms can be dried. Many agaric mushrooms contain bitterness, which does not disappear during the drying process. Such mushrooms are not suitable for drying.
Should be dried at home the following types mushrooms:
- made of tubular- porcini mushrooms, aspen mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, all types of boletus mushrooms, moss mushrooms, goat mushrooms, oak mushrooms, Polish mushrooms;
- from marsupials- morels, morel hat, white truffle;
- from tinder fungi- ram mushroom, tinder fungus variegated and branched;
- from lamellar- autumn honey fungus, summer and winter honey fungus, variegated umbrella mushroom, champignons, cherry blossom, fleecy scale, deer mushroom;
- from chanterelles- common chanterelle.
You can dry mushrooms:
- outdoors (in the sun),
- in a Russian oven (or simply oven),
- in the oven,
- over a gas or electric stove,
- on exotic heating devices - primus or kerosene stove,
- using modern microwave ovens,
- on central heating radiators, etc.
Air drying mushrooms possible only in hot weather dry time, in clear sunny days. In cloudy, damp weather, you cannot dry mushrooms in the open air, as they can spoil and there is nothing for them to dry. Natural drying of mushrooms in the sun lasts about a week. Mushrooms are strung on strong, harsh threads, thin twine or fishing line and hung in sunny places so that they do not touch. You can make special stands for this, place mushrooms strung on threads or metal rods on them and expose them to the sun, covering them with gauze from dust and flies.
Fresh, strong, healthy mushrooms that are not damaged by worms are selected for drying.
Cleaned mushrooms are wiped with a clean, slightly moistened soft cloth (preferably nylon), clearing them of needles, leaves, moss, sand, soil and sorted by size. To speed up the drying process, it is better to cut large mushroom caps into slices, cutting off the stem at a distance of 2–3 cm from the cap. The stems of porcini, aspen and boletus mushrooms are cut into columns 3–4 cm long or wheels up to 2 cm thick. For butter mushrooms, moss mushrooms, honey mushrooms and chanterelles, mostly only the caps are used for drying, while morels and strings are dried entirely. You should not wash mushrooms before drying, as they absorb a lot of water, dry out very slowly and can spoil.
To avoid contamination, it is better to dry mushrooms using special devices: sieves, lattices, braids, strung on a thread or on pins mounted on wooden racks or on the knitting needles of a mushroom dryer.
Mushrooms are considered dried if they feel dry, light to the touch, bend slightly, and break with some force. Well-dried mushrooms resemble fresh ones in taste and aroma. The “yield” of dry mushrooms averages 10–14% by weight of raw peeled mushrooms. Thus, from 10 kg of fresh mushrooms, only 1–1.4 kg of dried mushrooms are obtained.
Dried mushrooms, and the small caps dry out first, must be removed periodically in a timely manner, and the remaining ones must be dried to the desired condition. You should not overdry mushrooms, as they become tasteless and lose their flavor; they do not soften or boil when cooked. At the same time, under-dried mushrooms are poorly stored, begin to mold at the slightest dampness and quickly deteriorate.
In a Russian oven you can dry all tubular and lamellar mushrooms and tinder fungi. You cannot dry morels in the oven.
DRYING MUSHROOMS IN THE SUN
On hot days, mushrooms can be dried in the sun or just dried to finally dry them at a higher temperature on the stove or in the oven.
For this purpose, mushrooms are placed on drying trays, thick paper or a dry board. Under no circumstances should mushrooms be placed on an iron baking sheet, as the mushrooms may bake and turn black on it.
Drying is carried out in a place protected from rain and dust and well blown by the wind. It is very important that the mushrooms, pre-cut into slices, are dried or dried completely within no more than 1-2 days. In this case, they retain their natural color.
Properly dried mushrooms bend; overdried ones crumble - it is better to soak such mushrooms and use them in the form of mushroom powder.
DRYING MUSHROOMS IN THE OVEN
When drying in the oven, mushrooms are laid out in a thin layer on specially made or ready-made racks installed in place of regular baking sheets. The temperature in the oven should be between 60–70°C, and in order for the air to constantly circulate in it, the door should be kept ajar. As the mushrooms dry, the grates are swapped from top to bottom.
In urban environments and for modern kitchen- this method of drying mushrooms is probably the most common and simple: ovens (and racks in them) are found in every home. If there are few grates (or there are none, sometimes), then you can independently make 2-3 grates according to the size of the oven so that they can be installed instead of baking sheets. The gratings can be made from any large-mesh wire mesh.
You can also use baking sheets if you don’t have wire racks. Mushrooms are selected by size (large ones are cut into pieces) and laid out on baking sheets. In this case, the mushrooms should not come into contact with each other, and air circulation in the oven should be ensured (open the door slightly).
First, the mushrooms are dried at a temperature of 45°C. At a higher initial temperature, protein substances are released on the surface of the mushrooms and then dry out, which worsens the further course of drying and gives the mushrooms a dark color. In this case, the mushrooms become so soft that they cannot be used as food. Only after the surface of the mushrooms has dried and they stop sticking can the temperature be raised to 75–80°C.
The duration of drying and drying of mushrooms cannot be determined accurately. If the mushroom caps and plates are the same size, they dry at the same time. Dry mushrooms are removed, and the rest are dried, turning them over from time to time.
DRYING MUSHROOMS IN THE MICROWAVE
When drying mushrooms in the microwave: peeled and chopped mushrooms are placed on a plate or wire rack, the minimum power is set to 100–180 W and left for 20 minutes, then the oven is opened and ventilated for 5–10 minutes. During this time, excess moisture intensively evaporates. Then the operation is repeated 2-3 more times. As a result, you can get at the output or already finished product- dried mushrooms or - a semi-finished product for further drying, it depends on the specific mushrooms.
This method of drying mushrooms is quite troublesome. Convenient only if your microwave has a large capacity. On small cars the process is very tedious and lengthy, although quite realistic.
DRYING MUSHROOMS IN A RUSSIAN OVEN
Mushrooms prepared for drying are laid out with their caps down on racks, braids, or strung on knitting needles. Loaded devices should be placed in the oven when the temperature in it after firing drops to 60–70°C. At a higher temperature, it is not recommended to start drying, as the mushrooms can steam or fry, burn and become very black. At temperatures below 50°C they dry very slowly, turn sour and deteriorate.
Before loading mushrooms, sweep under the stove so that there is no ash left on the floor. There should be no containers containing food or water in the oven at the time of drying.
If the grates or wickerwork do not have legs, then bricks should be placed under them, placed on edge, so that the mushrooms do not come into contact with the oven floor.
During drying, it is very important to ensure that the moisture that evaporates from the mushrooms is removed. To do this, the damper should be placed on 2 bricks, leaving a gap between them for air flow from below. Top part The damper should not tightly close the forehead of the stove so that moist air is removed all the time.
At the beginning of drying, the stove pipe is opened by 0.75 valves, as the mushrooms dry, it is gradually pushed back and closed tightly at the end of drying. Mushrooms dry unevenly, small caps dry faster, large caps dry more slowly, so the dried ones must be removed in a timely manner, otherwise they will lose their aroma and become tasteless. Under-dried mushrooms begin to mold at the slightest dampness.
STORAGE OF DRIED MUSHROOMS, PRESERVATION OF DRIED MUSHROOMS
Dried mushrooms are very hygroscopic: they absorb moisture from the surrounding air (especially if they are prepared in the form of mushroom powder), and easily become damp and moldy. In addition, they quickly absorb foreign odors. Therefore, dried mushrooms should be stored in dry, well-ventilated areas and, best of all, in moisture-proof bags or tightly closed glass or metal jars. Dried mushrooms can also be stored in gauze or linen bags, but strictly in a well-ventilated place and separately from products with a strong odor.
If for some reason the mushrooms become wet, they should be sorted and dried.
To preserve mushrooms for a long time, it is more convenient to place the mushrooms immediately after drying (while they still retain their fragility and warmth) in hermetically sealed glass jars. Jars are sterilized at a temperature of 90°C: half-liter jars for 40 minutes, liter jars for 50 minutes.
To suck air out of cans, you can use the following method. Pour a little alcohol onto the inner surface of the lid, light it and immediately close the jar. When alcohol burns, almost all the oxygen in the jar is consumed, as a result of which the mushrooms will not become moldy, even if they were not sufficiently dried and were placed in a damp room.
Before preparing food from them, the mushrooms are washed with a brush, removing dust and dirt, and filled with water for several hours to swell, and then boiled in the same water.
It's even better to soak dried mushrooms in milk or milk and half-and-half water. Mushrooms that have turned black during drying should be rinsed well before adding to the soup so that they do not give the soup a black color. The mushroom decoction is left to settle possible sand, filtered and used to prepare soups, sauces or gravies.
MANUFACTURING MUSHROOM POWDER
Well-dried or overdried mushrooms can be chopped and ground into a fine powder in a coffee grinder. When crushed, poorly digestible films of coarse fibers are destroyed, and mushrooms in this form better reveal their taste, aroma and are more easily absorbed by the body. Dry porcini mushroom powder is especially good.
When grinding the mushroom powder, add 5–10% by weight of fine salt for preservation. You can also add ground spices to taste: allspice, cumin, dried celery and parsley leaves, etc.
Mushroom powder is very convenient for adding to food or at the very end of cooking - no more than 0.5–1 minute before the end, or for direct addition to hot and cold food - salads, soups, main courses. It is added to omelettes when beating the egg mass.
Mushroom powder should be stored in a glass jar with a tight lid, protected from light. Shelf life with virtually no reduction in quality is up to 1 year. published
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