Storing/Freezing sliced mushrooms ?

[gaddy]

Wife brought home a box of sliced mushrooms and I need some advise on how to preserve them. Any suggestions ? Freeze them ? Really don't want to dehydrate but will if necessary. Vacuum pack and freeze, blanch first ?

[greenhead_killer]

walk over, open your garbage, insert into garbage, walk away. great way to preserve mushrooms!

on a serious note, i have no idea. id think vacuum seal and freeze would be fine though

[vandeman17]

walk over, open your garbage, insert into garbage, walk away. great way to preserve mushrooms!

on a serious note, i have no idea. id think vacuum seal and freeze would be fine though

make sure to keep the box though, might come in handy 

[gaddy]

I went with laying them out on parchment paper, 6 cookie sheets worth, going to freeze for a bit and then package. Why she brought home a big box, I have no idea, but they are fresh. She took a bunch to work and I am looking to see if the neighbors need any. Going to be a big saute of mushrooms on the leftover steak tacos for dinner tonight. I hope she picks up some avacados 

[vandeman17]

I went with laying them out on parchment paper, 6 cookie sheets worth, going to freeze for a bit and then package. Why she brought home a big box, I have no idea, but they are fresh. She took a bunch to work and I am looking to see if the neighbors need any. Going to be a big saute of mushrooms on the leftover steak tacos for dinner tonight. I hope she picks up some avacados 

I have heard of people sealing and freezing mushrooms with good success

[gaddy]

I looked on line and as always, got confused with all the opinions. Figured it was safer here. Then I asked the neighbor lady while waiting for a reply and Boom - An easy option.

[runamuk]

Canning is a great way to do mushrooms.  Or dehydrating is also excellent.

[Alchase]

I have not done sines I was a kid, we would pick a ton of shantrels, dry them out, then put them in 1 gallon ziplock bags in the freezer.

[fowl smacker]

Blanch then can!

[scotsman]

We cook them first in olive oil and butter. Then when still hot ladle into muffin pan - a good spoonful per muffin dent. Put in freezer then when set put in ziploc bags. When you make a recipe requiring mushrooms just graba couple a pucks of precooked shrooms and away ya go. Easy and fast.

[pianoman9701]

We cook them first in olive oil and butter. Then when still hot ladle into muffin pan - a good spoonful per muffin dent. Put in freezer then when set put in ziploc bags. When you make a recipe requiring mushrooms just graba couple a pucks of precooked shrooms and away ya go. Easy and fast.

Beat me to it. Mushrooms are mostly water cells, like up to 80% depending on the variety. When you freeze them uncooked, the cells burst and the mushroom becomes sponge-like upon thawing. When you cook them first and portion them out, as directed above, the cell damage is accomplished during cooking. Add some garlic, either fresh or powder, during cooking and finish with dry sherry, cooking it off almost completely before removing from the stove.

Having said all of this, if these are white button mushrooms, don't waste your time. Button mushrooms are grown in a number of possibly harmful mediums and many in the wild mushroom business think they're carcinogenic. Morels are still popping right now in the burn areas at altitude. Chanterelle and lobster season are about 4 weeks away. Then chicken, fried chicken, matsutake, hawkwings, white chants, blue chants, cauliflower - you'll have plenty of choices for preserving and they're all not only good for you but great tasting.

[shipwreck]

I have had really good results from dehydrating them using baby portabellas  from WINCO.

[W_Ellison2011]

We cook them first in olive oil and butter. Then when still hot ladle into muffin pan - a good spoonful per muffin dent. Put in freezer then when set put in ziploc bags. When you make a recipe requiring mushrooms just graba couple a pucks of precooked shrooms and away ya go. Easy and fast.

Beat me to it. Mushrooms are mostly water cells, like up to 80% depending on the variety. When you freeze them uncooked, the cells burst and the mushroom becomes sponge-like upon thawing. When you cook them first and portion them out, as directed above, the cell damage is accomplished during cooking. Add some garlic, either fresh or powder, during cooking and finish with dry sherry, cooking it off almost completely before removing from the stove.

Having said all of this, if these are white button mushrooms, don't waste your time. Button mushrooms are grown in a number of possibly harmful mediums and many in the wild mushroom business think they're carcinogenic. Morels are still popping right now in the burn areas at altitude. Chanterelle and lobster season are about 4 weeks away. Then chicken, fried chicken, matsutake, hawkwings, white chants, blue chants, cauliflower - you'll have plenty of choices for preserving and they're all not only good for you but great tasting.

I don't know if Vacuum sealing makes this different... but we have washed then let sit until dry chanterelle mushrooms and then vacuum bagged and into the freezer. They come out looking just as good as they went in and fry up the same. 

[pianoman9701]

Chanterelles freeze OK. I have a few chefs who buy them when they're out of season. But they usually cook them right from frozen. I sell a lot of frozen porcini, too.

[W_Ellison2011]

We only do Chanterelles that we pick. I don't like doing store bought for those. Shaggy manes we definitely cook ASAP! Those are the only 2 mushrooms we pick. I'm starting to get more into finding edibles plants and fungi in the woods. Knowing which ones I can freeze for later would be awesome for if I want to make soups, sautee, or throw on a pizza at a later time.