This is the best way to proceed

Freeze or Dry?

Ceps are - like all mushrooms - fresh only for one very short shelf life. The high protein content ensures that the mushrooms go bad quickly. For this reason, you should have the fruiting bodies immediately after purchasing or buying it. prepare for a walk in the forest or, if immediate use is not possible or not desired, preserve it. Porcini mushrooms are ideal for freezing, as they - unlike some other types of mushrooms such as chanterelles - do not experience any change in taste. Freezing is the fastest and gentlest way to keep fresh mushrooms to make durable - which can also be used like fresh mushrooms. However, if you dry the porcini mushrooms, they will gain a lot of aroma. For this reason, you should always add some dried mushrooms to the fresh mushrooms in porcini mushroom dishes.

Prepare porcini mushrooms properly before freezing

However, you cannot move the mushrooms straight from the forest to the freezer. The first thing to do is to carefully examine the finds clean and cut into bite-sized pieces - after all, frozen mushrooms shouldn't be thawed and then thawed Ready to pan, but ready to pan and frozen in the hot fat or the hot broth given. If you thaw the mushrooms first (in order to be able to cut them afterwards, for example), they will later become rubbery in consistency in the pan. Only mushrooms that are intended for frying, for example in dough, can be left whole.

The best methods for freezing porcini mushrooms

There are several methods of freezing cleaned and cut porcini mushrooms. But regardless of whether you want to preserve raw or prepared mushrooms - freeze them first Temperatures of at least minus 20 ° C in a suitable freezer (if possible with the possibility of Shock freezing). Pre-freezing should take about a day, after which you can store the frozen mushrooms at minus 18 ° C. Use a freezer for freezing, as the freezer compartment of the refrigerator cannot generate the required temperatures - here “frozen” mushrooms only keep for a few days to weeks.

Freeze raw porcini mushrooms

Like mushrooms, porcini mushrooms can be frozen raw and appetizingly cut into thin slices. All you have to do is clean them (if possible do not wash them!), Cut away bad spots and finally cut the fruit bodies into thin slices. If the fruit bodies are too big or no more slices are possible due to maggot damage, simply cut them into bite-sized pieces - the thinner these are, the faster they will freeze through. At temperatures of around minus 18 ° C, the raw porcini mushrooms can be kept for up to a year. If you want to use them, simply pour the desired frozen amount directly from the freezer into the hot fat or the hot broth. Then prepare them like fresh mushrooms.

Freeze stewed porcini mushrooms

You can of course prefer this step and freeze porcini mushrooms that have already been steamed. To do this, fry the cleaned and cut mushrooms in a little butter or a mixture of butter and vegetable oil (for example a good olive oil) until they are just before the cooking point. If desired, you can also add salt and pepper at this point. You can also add chopped onions and / or diced bacon to the mushrooms. Finally, cool the steamed dish quickly in a water bath and freeze it as described for the raw porcini mushrooms. If the steamed porcini mushrooms are to be thawed and prepared, simply put them in a hot pan.

Freeze blanched porcini mushrooms

Instead of steaming the porcini mushrooms to be frozen in hot fat, you can simply blanch them in boiling water for three to four minutes. Add plenty of salt and a little lemon juice to the cooking water - the salt prevents the mushrooms from absorbing too much water and the lemon works against darkening. Blanching is particularly suitable for very large quantities of mushrooms to be frozen. By the way, do not throw away the cooking water: You can also freeze this as a mushroom broth and use it to prepare mushroom dishes later, it is very aromatic.

Freeze finished porcini mushroom dishes

If you are in a hurry, you can simply freeze a prepared dish instead of raw or prepared porcini mushrooms. Porcini mushrooms in cream sauce, a porcini mushroom ragout, etc. ä. defrosts quickly and is an excellent meal even for unexpected guests. Prepare the mushroom dish to be frozen as if you were going to eat it right away, refrigerate instead, quickly down in a water bath and freeze it as described above. Please note, however, that prepared porcini mushrooms can only be kept for two to three months, even if they are frozen.