Today I am going to show you how to preserve chanterelles. Chanterelles mushrooms are one of the best ones for me. I think I might be slightly obsessed with them. Chanterelles also happen to be a seasonal delight. We only pick it in late summer, early fall. When we have some extra, my mission is to preserve them for winter.
Today we are actually cooking them and preserving chanterelles. Dried chanterelles are always good. However, I like to cook away half of the harvest. That way I can just dump my stash in the pot, cook a little more and incorporate the chanterelles into fried potatoes.
You can follow the same procedures for other mushrooms, too. Know that the cooking time and the texture of the mushrooms will differ. It cannot get any easier than this though.
I generally do not recommend soaking mushrooms in water. Mushrooms are like sponges, they will soak up a lot of water. Quickly washing them under a running water should suffice. This time my chanterelles were a little dirtier that I wanted them to be. So, I dipped them in a little water and quickly gave them a wash.
Once all the mushrooms were washed, all the dirt cleaned out, toss them into a colander to get some water out. For the frying process the mushrooms do not have to be dry. The water will evaporate during the cooking process. Cut mushrooms in larger chunks. You can even shred chanterelles like you would do mozzarella cheese sticks. They will split quite well. The smaller mushrooms do not even have to cut.
Heat a large skillet, add 1 TBSP of oil (2 TBSP of oil if you have a bigger amount of mushrooms) and add the mushrooms into the skillet. Turn the heat on MEDIUM HIGH. Some people like to start this process dry, without oil. I, frankly, see no use for doing so. The water which needs to be evaporated will still evaporate. You will see a lot of water building. At this point let the water slowly boil out. There is no need to disturb the mushrooms at this point.
Once you see the water going down, turn down the heat a bit and fry the mushrooms a little more. Add a sprinkle of salt (for preservation purposes). You can always add more salt after you thaw the mushrooms. Just a sprinkle is enough at this time.
Take the chanterelles down from the heat and place them in a medium bowl, to cool.
Once the chanterelles are cooled down, place them in a food saver bag or a ziplock. Gently suck the air out of the bag (it doesn’t have to be completely gone), seal the bag and put the bag in the freezer.
Whenever you are ready to use the chanterelles, take the bag from the freezer. there NO NEED TO THAW the mushrooms first. Just dump them in the cooking pan and heat up before adding to a soup or other food. Done!
Let me know if this process of how to preserve chanterelles was helpful. Let me know if you have any questions. I will be more than happy to share my experience with you.
2. Freeze: You can store chanterelles in the freezer. First, remove some of their water by dry sautéing the chanterelles in a frying pan on the stove on medium-high heat.
How to Preserve ChanterellesToday I am going to show you how to preserve chanterelles. Chanterelles mushrooms are one of the best ones for me. I think I might be slightly obsessed with them. Chanterelles also happen to be a seasonal delight. We only pick it in late summer, early fall. When we have some extra, my mission is to preserve them for winter.
- However much chanterelles you have
- 1-2 TBSP cooking oil
- salt
- I generally do not recommend soaking mushrooms in water. Mushrooms are like sponges, they will soak up a lot of water. Quickly washing them under a running water should suffice. This time my chanterelles were a little dirtier that I wanted them to be. So, I dipped them in a little water and quickly gave them a wash.
- Once all the mushrooms were washed, all the dirt cleaned out, toss them into a colander to get some water out. For the frying process the mushrooms do not have to be dry. The water will evaporate during the cooking process. Cut mushrooms in larger chunks. You can even shred chanterelles like you would do mozzarella cheese sticks. They will split quite well. The smaller mushrooms do not even have to cut.
- Heat a large skillet, add 1 TBSP of oil (2 TBSP of oil if you have a bigger amount of mushrooms) and add the mushrooms into the skillet. Turn the heat on MEDIUM HIGH. Some people like to start this process dry, without oil. I, frankly, see no use for doing so. The water which needs to be evaporated will still evaporate. You will see a lot of water building. At this point let the water slowly boil out. There is no need to disturb the mushrooms at this point.
- Once you see the water going down, turn down the heat a bit and fry the mushrooms a little more. Add a sprinkle of salt (for preservation purposes). You can always add more salt after you thaw the mushrooms. Just a sprinkle is enough at this time.
- Take the chanterelles down from the heat and place them in a medium bowl, to cool.
- Once the chanterelles are cooled down, place them in a food saver bag or a ziplock. Gently suck the air out of the bag (it doesn’t have to be completely gone), seal the bag and put the bag in the freezer.
- Whenever you are ready to use the chanterelles, take the bag from the freezer. there NO NEED TO THAW the mushrooms first. Just dump them in the cooking pan and heat up before adding to a soup or other food. Done!
HOW TO FREEZE CHANTERELLE MUSHROOMS
FAQ
Can you freeze uncooked chanterelles?
Is it OK to eat chanterelles raw?
Can you eat too many chanterelles?
What can I do with soggy chanterelles?