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 predominantly 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

This variety of mushrooms loses a little taste and aroma when pickled, so they should mainly be consumed fresh. Chanterelles are often frozen for the winter in various ways.
To freeze mushrooms, you will need freshly picked specimens that do not have defects. Chanterelles are also famous for the fact that they cannot be wormy. Therefore, before freezing, you should pay attention to strong and whole fruits.
The rest of the mushrooms are best consumed in the near future. You should not cool freshly picked chanterelles, because after such manipulations they will become bitter. After picking mushrooms, you need to prepare them for long-term storage as soon as possible.
If the mushrooms are prepared quickly enough, in the future, when consumed, you will retain 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

If you are going to freeze raw mushrooms, you will need freshly picked specimens. There is a high chance that if the chanterelles are not heat treated, they may become bitter.
To avoid such an oversight, culinary specialists recommend that you carefully consider the sorting of mushrooms. To freeze fresh chanterelles, choose only dense specimens without a hint of damage. They also should not be large or dry.
In any case, when freezing raw chanterelles, you run the risk of a similar problem. Store mushrooms in this form or not, it's up to you. After packing, wipe each fruit with a paper towel; you do not need to wash the chanterelles.
The manipulation carried out without water will help to better preserve the quality of the product. After processing, send the chanterelles to the freezer on a tray, laying them out in one layer. The freezing procedure lasts 12-15 hours.
After the allotted time, the mushrooms can be poured into portioned bags or food containers. Next, re-place the chanterelles in the freezer and store until use. The chamber temperature must be below -16 degrees.

Method number 2. Freezing fried chanterelles

Take the required amount of mushrooms, almost any specimens are suitable for frying. It is worth getting rid of only the spoiled ones. If you collected chanterelles yourself, it is undesirable to wash them.
Carefully inspect 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 preparation time of the product is on average 20 minutes.
Make sure that excess liquid evaporates from the mushrooms, and the chanterelles themselves become covered with a ruddy crust. The product should be fried without adding any spices and components, except for the oil itself.
It is forbidden to fry on animal fat. Otherwise, the mushrooms may 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.
Next, package 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 boiled before frying.

Method number 3. Freezing chanterelles in the form of broth

This option is considered ideal if you plan to cook soup. Prepare the chanterelles by the standard method, get rid of garbage and bad specimens. Pour a sufficient amount of water into a heat-resistant container, wait for it to boil.
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. Boil the chanterelles for about 7 minutes.
Then throw them in a colander, while saving the broth. Wait until the mushrooms and liquid have cooled down. Take a food container, put cling film or a plastic bag in it.
Place the mushrooms in a container, pour the chanterelles with the 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.
Place the resulting briquette in a bag, and then re-send it to the freezer until the right moment for use. Based on the semi-finished product, you can cook a delicious soup or main course.

Method number 4. Freezing boiled chanterelles

A clear advantage of boiled chanterelles is that you do not risk leaving bitterness in the mushrooms. Carefully sort the product, get rid of foreign debris. Cut large specimens in half if necessary.
Pour water into the utensils for cooking so that it turns out 2 times more than mushrooms. Wait for the boil, pour 15-20 gr. rock salt per 1 kg. product. Then add the desired number of chanterelles.
The duration of cooking mushrooms is 6 minutes. If a film forms during the process, get rid of it immediately. Chanterelles can be cooked a little longer, but then you risk that the mushrooms will lose their former aroma and taste.
After carrying out 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.
Neglecting 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, portionwise place in containers, re-send to the chamber for a long time.

How to defrost chanterelles correctly

To defrost mushrooms properly, you need to divide the actions into stages. Take out the frozen product and send it to the coldest shelf of the refrigerator. Open the door periodically to monitor the process.
Once the ice has thawed a little, place the mushrooms at room temperature. It is forbidden to accelerate the defrosting of chanterelles with a microwave oven. Try to use the right amount of mushrooms in a short time.
It is also forbidden to repeat the freezing procedure. Initially, calculate the approximate number of mushrooms for cooking any dish.
If you have frozen chanterelles in various ways, you should initially sign packages or containers. Explain how you did 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 basic recipes, baked goods or salads. Choose the most suitable freezing method or use each of them.