Freezing Mushrooms?

dragnlaw · Mar 22, 2023

I have often frozen mushrooms when they are incorporated into other ingredients. I have dried them in the dehydrator. But I have on occasion, read of someone here, freezing the mushrooms. eg. "oh, I had a super bag of mushrooms on sale, so I froze them"...
How did you prepare them for freezing? From the simple statement it sounds like they were whole? Don't they just turn to mush after?

I ask 'cause again I got some on sale, but I don't feel like dehydrating them this time.

Kaneohegirlinaz · Mar 22, 2023

@dragnlaw I buy bags of prepared frozen mushrooms at Trader Joe’s that are sliced and cooked in olive oil garlic and herbs. They’re lovely and never mushy.

medtran49 · Mar 22, 2023

You'll have to cook them to get the moisture out. Try dry frying them, with very, very little to no oil, or cook as K-girl mentions.

You can buy frozen porcinis that are frozen raw after cleaning, I have part of a bag in the freezer in fact, but porcinis are much denser than other mushrooms. With that said, they are a bit mushy when defrosted and certainly can't be treated like fresh mushrooms.

dragnlaw · Mar 22, 2023

When mushrooms are frozen by the Food Industry, don't think it's the same as throwing them a home freezer. I used to be able to get frozen Battered Whole Mushrooms, cn't seem to find them any more. I thought they were great! LOL
I have made mushroom appetizers filled with spicy sausage and cream cheese (YUM) and Frozen them, both raw and after cooking. They are fine.

I just thought (hoped) that someone had a secret way of freezing without a lot of prior prepping! LOL guess I'll just get out the whip and use it on the kitchen/scullery maid.

Thanks guys, I appreciate!

taxlady · Mar 22, 2023

Why not try just freezing a few fresh mushrooms and see what happens? Maybe leave them out where they can dry a little bit for a day or so, before freezing them.

Now, I'm curious enough that I will probably have to try it. Don't hold your breath waiting for me to do it first though.

Phaedra · Mar 22, 2023

Kaneohegirlinaz said:
I buy bags of prepared frozen mushrooms at Trader Joe’s that are sliced and cooked in olive oil garlic and herbs. They’re lovely and never mushy.

I am green with envy!

larry_stewart · Mar 22, 2023

I think Blissful freezes mushrooms ( although could be wrong). Maybe she'll pop in and tells us how she does it ( If she does it). I usually dehydrate.

Kaneohegirlinaz · Mar 22, 2023

larry_stewart said:
I think Blissful freezes mushrooms ( although could be wrong). Maybe she'll pop in and tells us how she does it ( If she does it). I usually dehydrate.

@blissful ? what say you ?

blissful · Mar 22, 2023

Oh! Hey. We were able to get mushrooms for $2/lb or less with reduced produce. The first way we kept them is to cook them and pressure can them. There's a lot canned. Then the freezing, we just cook until reduced, the mushrooms shrink a little, lots of water comes out, we freeze the liquid and mushrooms in pint containers.

I just had some yesterday and today, from the freezer, mixed with onions and collards, garlic and soy sauce. They are great, fast to thaw, ready to eat.

dragnlaw · Mar 23, 2023

Thank you to everyone. I was sort'a hopeful someone had a secret but...

Alas, poor dragn, has to get off her butt and actually cook.

jennyema · Mar 23, 2023

Raw mushrooms don’t freeze well, I found (like a hundred years ago). Unless you add a couple to your freezer ziplock with vegetable stock scraps.

They freeze pretty well when cooked, though.

dragnlaw · Mar 23, 2023

jennyema, you and I were in that same class a hundred years ago!

Roll_Bones · Mar 23, 2023

dragnlaw said:
I have often frozen mushrooms when they are incorporated into other ingredients. I have dried them in the dehydrator. But I have on occasion, read of someone here, freezing the mushrooms. eg. "oh, I had a super bag of mushrooms on sale, so I froze them"...
How did you prepare them for freezing? From the simple statement it sounds like they were whole? Don't they just turn to mush after?

I ask 'cause again I got some on sale, but I don't feel like dehydrating them this time.

Can you tell me more about dehydrating mushrooms? Temp?
How long?

dragnlaw · Mar 23, 2023

I slice them about 3/8th" (give or take) and then at 125 F to 130 F.
It can take anywhere from 3 to 7 hours depending on moisture content of air and mushrooms.

I do some at sort of a leathery/pliable stage for using fairly soon. Store in a jar with a silica pac, if you have. I do some brittle/crsp for longer storage.

This is is my dehydrator - have never used an oven or toaster oven. But there's no reason you can't - if you are will ing to go without them for that length of time.... Or maybe overnight?

lumello · Jun 4, 2023

This is my favorite method for all mushrooms: Clean and slice the mushrooms. You can sauté them lightly in a bit of oil or butter to remove moisture, but I generaly skip this step

Spread the sliced mushrooms in a single layer on a baking sheet and place it in the freezer until they're frozen solid, like 10-15min. Then, transfer the frozen mushrooms to a freezer bag.

dragnlaw · Jun 4, 2023

Very interesting lumello.. Thanks, have to try that.

Freezing Mushrooms?

dragnlaw

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