Freezing Chanterelles - How To Do It Right

Can you freeze chanterelles? This is how you can preserve the tasty mushrooms

Freeze the chanterelles to keep them longer

The yellow spots in the moss shine towards the forest walker from afar: Chanterelles are often to be found along the path, in sunny and damp locations. The tasty mushrooms like to hide in the middle of the moss, so you have to look carefully and sometimes carefully pull the moss aside with your hands. Do not pluck it out, however, because you will destroy it! Since the yellow cones often gather in larger groups, a rich harvest is certain. But where should you put all the mushrooms if you don't want to process and eat them immediately? Fortunately, chanterelles can be preserved in a number of different ways, and freezing is probably the best option.Fresh chanterelles, on the other hand, only last about three to four days - provided they are cleaned and stored in the refrigerator at below seven degrees Celsius.

How to freeze chanterelles properly - Here's how

Before freezing, the first thing to do is to properly prepare the mushrooms. Like all mushrooms, chanterelles should not be washed under any circumstances, as they soak up water like a sponge. Instead, brush the mushrooms with a fine brush. A special mushroom brush is very suitable for this, while tricky areas can be cleaned well with a toothbrush. Then cut the mushrooms in half lengthways to check for maggot damage and to remove them if necessary. Cut the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces, depending on how you want to process them later.

Freeze raw chanterelles

Unfortunately, raw frozen chanterelles tend to turn bitter after thawing. For this reason, you should either freeze these mushrooms cooked or at least blanched. This makes the bitterness disappear. And that's how it works:

Sort and clean the fresh chanterelles.
Important: These must be fresh and should not have been lying around at room temperature for a long time!
If you cannot process the collected or purchased mushrooms straight away, store them in the refrigerator.
Cut the chanterelles into bite-sized pieces.
Bring water to a boil on the stove and lightly salt it.
Boil the chanterelles in salted water for a minute.
Then scare them off with ice water,
pat dry well with a clean kitchen towel
and freeze them instantly.

Ice water is plain, cold tap water to which you have added a few ice cubes.

Freeze cooked chanterelles

It's best to freeze chanterelles that have already been cooked. You don't have to prepare an elaborate mushroom dish for this, it is sufficient to simply fry the fresh and cleaned mushrooms in a little butter. Whether you season the fried mushrooms is entirely up to further use: If you want to use them for another dish, it is advisable to leave out salt, pepper and herbs for the time being. Do not leave the freshly fried mushrooms outside the refrigerator for a long time to cool, but cool them down in an ice-cold water bath (without direct water contact) and freeze immediately.

Great for freezing: chanterelles in cream sauce

This recipe is excellent for a quick meal with pasta, potatoes or bread dumplings, as it is easy to prepare and freeze.

Ingredients required:

600 grams of fresh chanterelles
2 onions
40 grams of butter
300 grams of sweet cream
200 grams of crème fraîche
125 ml chicken broth
Salt, pepper and curry

Preparation:

Cut the cleaned mushrooms, leaving the small ones whole and only halving or thirding the larger ones. Fry the mushrooms in the butter with the diced onions. After about five minutes, deglaze with the broth and simmer for 15 minutes. Whisk the cream and crème fraîche together and fold in. Now don't let it boil anymore, but season with the spices.

How long do frozen chanterelles keep?

It is best to freeze chanterelles or a chanterelle dish in portions, because for the sake of your health, you shouldn't risk defrosting, heating and refreezing them again. Resealable plastic cans or freezer bags are best for this purpose. Frozen chanterelles, if not yet prepared, can be kept in a freezer at temperatures of at least minus 18 ° C for around six months - but only for a few weeks in the freezer compartment of a refrigerator. Even prepared dishes can be kept in a freezer for a maximum of two to three months.

Defrost the chanterelles properly

Do not defrost the chanterelles before using them again, but prepare them while still frozen in hot fat or a hot liquid. Thawed mushrooms often become mushy and lose a lot of their aroma.

Tips

Chanterelles can also be preserved very well by drying or canning (for example, pickled in vinegar). Then, however, their further uses are rather limited: Dried chanterelles are particularly suitable as mushroom or seasoning powder and pickled mushrooms are not for everyone.