How to Freeze Chanterelle Mushrooms

Chanterelle mushrooms are popular and yummy wild mushrooms. They can be found in the wilds of Eurasia, North and Central America, and Africa. Unfortunately, freshly picked chanterelle mushrooms will last 7-10 days in the fridge. To be able to use your chanterelle mushrooms over a longer period of time, it’s best to store them in the freezer after cooking them. Cooking them first will help them retain their amazing flavour.

[Edit]Ingredients

[Edit]Fresh or Sautéed Mushrooms

• of cooking oil or butter
• Salt (to taste)

[Edit]Blanched or Steamed Mushrooms

• of lemon juice

[Edit]Roasted Mushrooms

• 3 shallots
• of butter
• of cooking oil

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Freezing Fresh or Sautéed Mushrooms

1. Clean your chanterelle mushrooms before cooking them. In general, mushrooms don’t like water and you should try to not use water when cleaning them. Instead, you can use a dry cloth or a soft brush to scrub away the dirt. If this doesn’t work, place them into a colander under a running faucet. Shake the colander to help remove the stuck-on dirt. Once clean, place the mushrooms on a towel or mesh rack and leave them to dry for 24 hours.^[1]
   
   
   
   • If you need to rinse your mushrooms in water, use whatever temperature is comfortable.
   • Use your hands to help wash the dirt off the mushrooms while they’re under the faucet.
2. Freeze fresh mushrooms in a block of ice. Chop your fresh chanterelle mushrooms into smaller, bite-sized pieces, then put the chopped mushrooms into a plastic freezer bag. Fill the bag with water in order to completely cover all the mushrooms inside. Close the bag and remove as much air as possible. Put the bag of mushrooms in the freezer and allow the water to freeze into a block of ice.^[2]
   
   • When you want to use the mushrooms, you will need to completely thaw the block of ice.
   • If you don’t plan to use all the mushrooms at the same time, freeze them in small batches.
3. Sauté your mushrooms in oil or butter before freezing to make them easy to use later. Chop your chanterelle mushrooms into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Put of cooking oil or butter into a frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the chopped mushrooms to the frying pan once the oil or butter has heated up. Fry the mushrooms until all the water they release has been completely evaporated. Reduce the heat and stir a sprinkle of salt into the mushrooms.^[3]
   
   
   • Feel free to use any type of cooking oil you want with your mushrooms.
   • Also, feel free to add herbs and spices or onions to season the mushrooms before freezing them.
   • Sautéing your mushrooms in butter or oil before storing them in the freezer makes it super easy to thaw those flavoured mushrooms when you’re ready to use them and put them directly into the dish you’re making.
4. Fry your mushrooms in a dry pan before freezing them to remove the moisture. Chop your chanterelle mushrooms into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Place a frying pan on the stove on medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, put the mushrooms in the frying pan and stir in a sprinkle of salt. Allow the mushrooms to cook until all the water is evaporated.^[4]
   
   • The water produced comes from the mushrooms themselves. You want all the water removed from the mushrooms before freezing them, or that moisture will damage the mushrooms and change their flavour.
   • Frying mushrooms in a dry frying pan ensures they have all moisture removed before freezing, so the cold won’t damage them. It also keeps the mushrooms unflavoured so they can be added to any recipe you want to make when you thaw them out.
5. Allow the mushrooms to cool before putting them in freezer bags. Remove the mushrooms from the frying pan and place them on a towel or a mesh cooling rack. Leave the mushrooms to completely cool (use your fingers to test if they’re still warm). Move the mushrooms into 1 or more freezer bags. Seal the bag closed and remove as much air as possible. Put the bag of mushrooms in the freezer.^[5]
   
   • Alternatively, you can also freeze the mushrooms inside a freezer-safe storage container.
   • Divide the mushrooms into smaller batches and put into separate freezer bags if you prefer.
   • Your chanterelle mushrooms will last up to 6 months in the freezer.

[Edit]Blanched or Steamed Mushrooms

1. Wash your chanterelle mushrooms before blanching or steaming them. To wash your mushrooms, first, try to simply wipe the dirt off with a dry cloth or soft brush. If this method doesn’t remove enough of the first, rinse them in water while also rubbing off the dirt. There’s no need to wait until your mushrooms are dry before blanching or steaming them.^[6]
   
   
   • If you need to rinse your mushrooms in water, use whatever temperature is comfortable.
   • If you’re blanching your mushrooms, don’t worry if not all the dirt has been removed. The blanching process will also help to remove any leftover dirt.
2. Blanch your mushrooms before freezing them to preserve the flavor. Boil a large pot of water on the stove. Chop your chanterelle mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. Place the chopped mushrooms into the water and wait for the water to start boiling again. Leave the mushrooms in boiling water for 1-2 minutes.^[7]
   
   
   • In general, use of water for every of mushrooms.
   • Blanch your mushrooms in multiple batches if you don’t have a pot large enough for all of them at once.
   • Putting your mushrooms in boiling water for a short time stops enzymes from within the mushroom from causing a loss of flavour, colour, and texture while the mushroom is frozen.
3. Steam your mushrooms before putting them in the freezer to preserve their texture. Chop your chanterelle mushrooms into smaller pieces or divide the mushrooms into batches by size. Place the mushrooms in a bowl that contains of lemon juice for every of water for 5 minutes. Take the mushrooms out of the bowl and put them into a steamer basket. Place the basket over top of boiling water in a large pot on the stove. Put the lid on the pot and allow the mushrooms to steam for 3-5 minutes.^[8]
   
   
   • The amount of time required will depend upon the size of the mushroom pieces.
   • The larger the pieces, the longer they’ll need to stay in the pot to steam.
   • Steaming your mushrooms has a similar effect to blanching, except that your mushrooms never come into contact with water. It does, however, take longer to steam a veggie than it does to blanch one.
4. Put the mushrooms in ice-cold water and allow them to dry. Remove the mushrooms from the pot and immediately put them in a bowl of ice-cold water. This will immediately stop the mushrooms from cooking. Remove the mushrooms from the ice-cold water once they’re cool and put them on a mesh drying rack or towel to completely dry.^[9]
   
   
   • Test the coolness of the mushrooms with your hands. Once you don’t feel any heat coming from the mushrooms, you can take them out of the water to dry.
5. Freeze your cooked mushrooms in freezer-safe bags or containers. Move your dry chanterelle mushrooms into freezer bags or freezer-safe containers. Divide them into smaller batches so you only have to thaw enough mushrooms for one recipe at a time. Seal the bags or containers and remove as much air as possible, then store them in the freezer.^[10]
   
   • Blanched or steamed chanterelle mushrooms will last for about a year in the freezer.

[Edit]Freezing Roasted Mushrooms

1. Rinse off your chanterelle mushrooms before roasting them. Remove all the dirt from your mushrooms before you chop and roast them. Try to remove that dirt using a dry cloth or soft brush first. If that doesn’t work, try rinsing or soaking them in water. Once clean, lay your mushrooms out on a mesh rack or towel to dry for about 24 hours before roasting them.^[11]
   
   • If you need to rinse your mushrooms in water, use whatever temperature is comfortable.
2. Chop the mushrooms you want to roast and freeze. Cut your chanterelle mushrooms into bite-sized chunks about square. Make sure you have 3 shallots for every of mushrooms you want to roast. Chop the shallots into small, fine pieces.^[12]
   
   
   • Before you start to chop your mushrooms and shallots, preheat the oven to .
3. Combine the mushrooms, shallots, butter, and oil in a large bowl. Put your chopped mushrooms and shallots into a large bowl. Add of butter and of oil to the bowl for every of mushrooms (and 3 shallots). Use a wooden spoon to stir all the ingredients together.^[13]
   
   
   
   • Use whatever kind of cooking oil you like best.
4. Roast the mushrooms in the oven for 14-15 minutes. Pour the mushrooms mixture out of the bowl onto 1 or more baking sheets. Use the wooden spoon to spread them out so there’s an even layer across the baking sheets. Put the baking sheets into the oven and allow them to roast for 14-15 minutes before removing them.^[14]
   
   • Make sure you use oven mitts when it’s time to remove the baking sheets from the oven.
5. Allow the mushrooms to cool and store them in the freezer. Use a spatula to move the roasted mushrooms from the baking sheets to a mesh cooling rack on the counter. Allow them to cool considerably, then place them in freezer bags or freezer-safe containers. Seal the bag or container and make sure all the air is removed, then store the bag or container in the freezer.^[15]
   
   • Divide your mushrooms into smaller batches if you don’t want to thaw a large amount at once.
   • The mushrooms will last about a year in the freezer once roasted.

[Edit]Things You’ll Need

[Edit]Freezing Mushrooms Fresh or Sautéed

• Dry cloth or soft brush
• Colander
• Mesh rack or towel
• Knife
• Cutting board
• Frying pan
• Wooden spoon
• Freezer bags or freezer-safe storage containers

[Edit]Blanching or Steaming Mushrooms First

• Large pot with lid
• Knife
• Cutting board
• Steamer basket
• Large bowl
• Slotted spoon
• Mesh drying rack or towel
• Freezer bags or freezer-safe storage containers

[Edit]Roasting Mushrooms Before Freezing

• Knife
• Chopping board
• Large bowl
• Wooden spoon
• Baking sheets
• Oven mitts
• Spatula
• Mesh cooling rack
• Freezer bags or freezer-safe storage containers

[Edit]References