How long to cook fresh honey mushrooms before further use

Trophies of a quiet hunt

Silent hunting, with all its searching delights, is only the first stage of every mushroom adventure. When the foragers, tired of searching, return home, and baskets filled with mushrooms take their place in the corner of the kitchen, a logical question arises - what to do next?

Next is the no less fascinating process of culinary preparation of mushrooms, or storing them for future use, and an important part of this process is boiling the mushrooms.

During the cooking process, the fruiting bodies of mushrooms acquire a more pronounced taste and aroma, and become denser in consistency.

In this article we will talk about the technology of boiling honey mushrooms - how to do it correctly, and how long the boiling procedure should take to obtain the most successful result.

How long to cook fresh honey mushrooms before frying and before freezing

How to properly defrost honey mushrooms

Raw honey mushrooms are defrosted for 8 hours in the main compartment of the refrigerator, and then at room temperature. Thawed honey mushrooms are lightly dried with a paper towel and subsequently used for preparing various dishes.

Honey mushrooms, frozen in fried or boiled form, do not require preliminary defrosting.

Frozen mushrooms can be stored for 6 months, and at a freezer temperature above 18 ºС - up to 1 year.

It is worth noting that dishes with honey mushrooms will be a “tasty solution” for your table. However, mushrooms are a delicate product, so it is important for every housewife to know how to properly cook fresh mushrooms and how long it takes.

Before heat treatment, honey mushrooms must undergo preliminary preparation. The shelf life of fresh honey mushrooms does not exceed 36 hours, provided that they are stored in the refrigerator. Therefore, it is better not to delay the cleaning and subsequent preparation of mushroom dishes. This can lead to serious consequences - poisoning.

It is better to process the collected honey mushrooms as soon as they were brought from the forest. They need to be sorted out and all rotten and worm-damaged specimens thrown away. Remove all forest debris, dirt and sand from the caps, and also cut off the lower part of the stem with the remains of the mycelium. Soak the peeled honey mushrooms in a large amount of water for 20-30 minutes and mix well with your hands. Place the mushrooms on a sieve and let them drain completely.

We offer several options for boiling honey mushrooms before freezing, frying, pickling and for first courses.

Preliminary preparation

Honey mushrooms must be processed directly on the day of collection; they do not tolerate long-term storage fresh - they turn black and spoil. The deadline is two days after collection.

It is important to remember “honey mushrooms” - the definition is not very accurate. This is the name given to a whole scattering of different types of mushrooms, belonging to different genera and families, and united by an external common feature - growing on stumps and rotting wood. This means that the taste and culinary qualities of different types of honey mushrooms are also different, and require a different approach when preparing them.

How to prepare mushrooms for freezing

Honey mushrooms grow in families, and in one place you can collect a decent amount of mushrooms. Mushrooms should be cut a few at a time, at a short distance from the ground, so as not to touch the earthen lump. It is better to clear mushrooms of debris immediately upon collection.

At home, honey mushrooms need to be sorted and sorted first. Only fresh, strong mushrooms without signs of damage are suitable for freezing. Mushrooms are also sorted by size. Small ones are frozen whole, and large ones are cut into several pieces.

Next, the mushrooms need to be washed to remove various debris and small insects.

See video: How to clean and sort honey mushrooms:

Watch the video: The Marmalade Fox will tell you how to clean honey mushrooms quickly and effortlessly

How to clean forest mushrooms

How long to cook fresh honey mushrooms before frying and before freezing
Any mushrooms, including honey mushrooms, tend to get dirty in dust and forest debris - sawdust, sticks, fallen leaves. Therefore, first of all, the fruiting bodies need to be thoroughly wiped with a paper napkin. You can use a soft brush, such as an old toothbrush. Some types of mushrooms require soaking before use, but this must be done after removing dirt from them. If you immediately put the fruiting bodies to soak, the dirt may simply be absorbed into them.

Peeled fruiting bodies must be carefully sorted, removing accidentally caught, overripe or rotten specimens. For the rest, cut out existing damaged areas.

Preparing mushrooms

Washed mushrooms

Any mushroom is a heavy, high-calorie food for the stomach, difficult to digest. You need to cook them in advance, before frying, to facilitate the process of digesting food. The main thing is to know what rules to follow and how many minutes to cook the forest “harvest” so that it has the desired consistency.

Before the cooking procedure, it is necessary to sort through the collected “harvest” of mushrooms. It is necessary to completely remove all spoiled specimens, including those damaged by worms or rotten ones. It is also necessary to sort honey mushrooms before cooking, so as not to experience problems in the future in choosing the prepared product.

Experts and mushroom pickers note that minor areas of decay can be safely removed with a sharp knife, leaving the healthy part of the mushroom for food.

It is also recommended to shorten the mushroom stems that are too long and lightly clean them with a knife to remove dirt and dead particles. To remove dirt from the mushroom, the harvested “harvest” is placed under running water. Thorough washing will help remove stuck leaves, soil and branches. To carefully clean honey mushrooms, they are immersed in lightly salted water for literally half an hour. There is no point in keeping them any longer, especially since they tend to become saturated with water.

How to wash fresh mushrooms

After this, the mushrooms are washed in a colander under running water.

A separate question always arises with the stem of the mushroom - they are often denser than the caps, and therefore require more thorough heat treatment, and are more difficult to digest in the stomach. The question of whether to leave the stem or not must be decided based on the specific type of mushrooms you are dealing with and your personal culinary preferences and capabilities.

How long to cook fresh honey mushrooms before frying and before freezing

If you want to boil dried honey mushrooms, you must first soak them briefly in warm water so that the fruiting bodies soften.

If you plan to boil frozen honey mushrooms, you need to remove them from the freezer and place them on a regular shelf in the refrigerator for 6 hours. This is necessary so that the product thaws without a sudden change in temperature, which can damage its internal structure.

Features of the type and useful properties

Honey mushrooms belong to the Physalacriaceae family and have several species that differ not only in external characteristics and place of growth, but also in taste. But despite some differences, all types also have common features:

In young mushrooms it is hemispherical and covered with small scales.

Mature mushrooms are smooth and umbrella-shaped.

The shade of the cap depends on the location where the honey mushroom grows and varies between cream and red colors. Autumn honey mushrooms are very popular among chefs, because this particular species is considered the most delicious and aromatic of its family. Varieties of the genus also include winter, summer and meadow honey agarics.

The fruiting body contains many useful microelements necessary for the normal functioning of the body, including phosphorus, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, as well as valuable amino acids and fiber. In addition, the product contains B vitamins and vitamin C, E and PP.

Is it necessary to cut honey mushrooms before cooking?

Honey mushrooms can be cooked either whole or cut - it all depends on how you plan to use them in the future. It should be kept in mind that the larger the piece of mushroom, the more time it will take to prepare it. The main thing is that all the pieces of fruiting bodies are the same size, then they will cook evenly. If you have a solid division into larger and smaller pieces, it is better, in this case, to boil them not together, but separately. Otherwise, some of the fruiting bodies may not be properly cooked.

Preparing honey mushrooms for freezing

Fresh and fairly young mushrooms make the most versatile frozen products for long-term storage. You need to take care to obtain high-quality preparations in the autumn forest, during the collection of honey mushrooms. Having freed the stems of the mushrooms from the fallen leaves, they are cut off several at a time, and not at the very base. Cut honey mushrooms should be cleared of debris while still in the forest and only then placed in a basket.

At home, the harvested forest harvest is finally freed from adhering lumps of earth and small specks. If dirt still remains, thoroughly wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth (especially if they will be frozen fresh).

Purposes of boiling honey mushrooms

Mushrooms are boiled for several purposes:

• Removal of toxins in mushrooms of the conditionally edible group by digestion.
• Process and soften before frying.
• Prepare for pickling or salting.
• Prepare for freezing for the winter.

Before cooking, select a pan that is suitable for the volume of mushrooms you have. It should not be too small, otherwise the honey mushrooms will be undercooked or, conversely, burnt, or too large - this will complicate the correct selection of the volume of ingredients. It is best to use a regular enamel pan.

How long should honey mushrooms be cooked?

The cooking time for mushrooms depends on the purpose for which they will be used in the future. After boiling, fresh honey mushrooms are cooked:

• To prepare mushroom soup – 30 minutes.
• Before marinating – 40 minutes.
• Freeze for 25 minutes before preparing.
• Before frying in a pan - 15 minutes. Experienced mushroom pickers do not boil honey mushrooms before frying, believing that this makes them more aromatic.

Important! For cooking, use an enamel or stainless steel pan.

Boiling process

How long to cook fresh honey mushrooms before frying and before freezing
To properly boil honey mushrooms you will need salt, black peppercorns and bay leaves.

As soon as the water boils, add salt to it at the rate of 10 - 20 g. per 1 liter. Then the mushrooms are placed in the pan, slightly reducing the intensity of the fire underneath. The ratio of water and mushrooms can be determined by eye - the water should completely cover the fruiting bodies by 4 cm.

Boiling time depends on the volume of mushrooms and the intensity of the fire. For 300 - 500 gr. Honey mushrooms usually take about 45 minutes. There is an opinion that honey mushrooms should not be boiled for more than half an hour so that their taste is not affected. About halfway through the process, you need to add black pepper - it will add spicy notes to the broth, and bay leaf, at the rate of 2 pcs. for 1 liter of water. The foam that appears during cooking must be periodically removed with a slotted spoon, and the mushrooms must be stirred to prevent them from burning to the bottom of the pan. At the beginning of the cooking process, the fruiting bodies float to the top, and when they are ready, they sink to the bottom - this is a signal that the mushrooms are cooked.

Well-boiled fruit bodies darken, acquire a velvety texture, and their aroma intensifies.

How long to cook fresh honey mushrooms before frying and before freezing

In the case where conditionally edible mushrooms are subjected to culinary processing, boiling is carried out twice:

• The first is to eliminate toxins or bitterness in the mushroom pulp. Here, simply salted water without spices is used, and the resulting broth must be drained - it cannot be used. The first boiling time depends on the type of mushroom - from 5 minutes to half an hour.
• The second is direct culinary boiling. Its duration directly depends on how long the first boiling lasted, and how much time is now required to bring the fruiting bodies to their finished form. You can now add spices and aromatic herbs to the water, as you wish. The broth after the second boil can be used to make soup or sauce.

Sometimes it is recommended to boil even completely edible types of honey mushrooms twice, since it is believed that they all taste bitter, and this procedure is necessary to destroy the bitterness. This strategy works like this:

• Place honey mushrooms in boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes until the first foam appears.
• After this, the first water is drained, a new one is brought to a boil, and the honey mushrooms are boiled for 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the size.

Another method of preparing mushrooms is blanching - treating the fruiting bodies with boiling salted water in order to sterilize them. For 1 liter of water use 10 grams. salt. The water is brought to a boil and the mushrooms are briefly placed in it. For honey mushrooms this time is about 6 minutes.

How to cook honey mushrooms

Hot pickling recipe.

To pickle honey mushrooms you will need the following products: 1 kg of fresh mushrooms, 1 onion, 1 garlic, a bunch of dill, 2 tbsp. spoons of salt, 2 laurel. leaf, 10 pieces of peppercorns.

Cooking process:

1. Peel and thoroughly wash the fruiting bodies. If they are large, then you should separate the caps from the stems and cut them thinly; leave the small ones whole.
2. Boil in salted water.
3. Drain the water and let the mushrooms dry.
4. Chop onion, dill, garlic.
5. Add them along with bay leaves and spices to the boiled honey mushrooms.
6. Add salt and mix well.
7. Place in a suitable container and put under pressure for 5 days.
8. Transfer to jars and store in the refrigerator.

Cold pickling recipe.

Products required for pickling: 1 kg of peeled honey mushrooms, 1 onion, 2 tbsp. spoons of salt, 2 bay leaves, herbs, peppercorns, garlic.

Cooking steps:

1. Find suitable containers for pickling.

2. Place spices and mushrooms on the bottom.
3. Add salt and put on pressure.
4. Salt for about two months. If mold appears, it must be removed.
5. Once every few days you need to wash the oppression.
6. Salted mushrooms are placed in jars and stored in a cool and dry place.

Soup with honey mushrooms.

Ingredients for making soup: 0.5 kg of mushrooms, 1 carrot, 1 onion, 4 potatoes, sour cream, salt.

Soup preparation steps:

1. Boil the fruiting bodies in water with added salt.
2. Finely chop the onion and grate the carrots on a coarse grater.
3. Fry onions and carrots.
4. Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes.
5. Add all the products to the honey mushrooms.
6. Cook until done for about twenty minutes.

How to boil honey mushrooms before frying

How long to cook fresh honey mushrooms before frying and before freezing
The main rule is that when boiling honey mushrooms before frying, it is permissible to reduce the cooking time by about 10 minutes, thereby preserving more flavor and nutrients in the mushrooms.

• Bring water with salt and spices to a boil.
• Reduce heat intensity and place fruiting bodies in the pan.
• Boil for half an hour without covering the pan with a lid to ensure maximum evaporation of the liquid.
• Place the finished mushrooms in a colander to drain the water, after which they can be fried.

Freezing fried honey mushrooms for the winter

Frozen fried honey mushrooms are a semi-finished product completely ready to eat. To prepare such mushrooms, you need to place clean honey mushrooms in a frying pan and fry for 20 minutes with the addition of oil.

Next, the fried honey mushrooms are transferred to a sieve to drain excess fat, cooled and packaged in portioned bags. In this case, it is necessary to release as much air as possible from the bags. The packaged mushrooms are placed in the freezer.

Boiling frozen mushrooms

If desired, or if you don’t have time, you can boil frozen honey mushrooms without first thawing them.

• Place the frozen honey mushrooms in a saucepan and add a small layer of water so that it only slightly covers the fruiting bodies.
• Add salt to the water at the rate of 1 tbsp. spoon per 1 kg. mushrooms
• Place on the fire, bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes, skimming off any foam that appears.
• The resulting broth can be used for mushroom sauce or broth.

How long to cook fresh honey mushrooms before frying and before freezing

How to cook honey mushrooms?

Many housewives who have not previously encountered cooking honey mushrooms are interested in the question of how to properly, quickly, and most importantly, deliciously fry this product and prepare other dishes from boiled honey mushrooms.

Frying honey mushrooms in a frying pan

To prepare you will need:

• boiled mushrooms – 700 g;
• onion – 1 pc.;
• butter for frying;
• salt and other spices to taste.

Cooking time: 20-25 minutes.

The onion is cut into small cubes and fried in oil until golden brown. The main ingredient, in turn, is fried in a separate frying pan in butter for 5 minutes. After that, the contents of the 2 pans are combined, mixed and fried for another 5 minutes. After turning off the heat, add salt and other spices to taste. The dish is ready to be served.

Fried mushrooms go well with potatoes, rice and pasta. After frying, some housewives recommend stewing the product in sour cream with the addition of garlic and other spicy spices. Sour cream will make the taste of the dish softer and fresher, and garlic will add piquancy and spiciness to it.

Popular dishes made from boiled fruits

To prepare mushroom salad you will need:

• boiled honey mushrooms – 300 g;
• boiled chicken fillet – 300 g;
• walnuts – 100 g;
• eggs (pre-boiled) – 3 pcs.;
• mayonnaise – 100 g;
• salt – ½ tbsp. l.

Honey mushrooms and chicken fillet must be cut into large cubes or slices. Next, cut the eggs into cubes.

Answers to common questions

Honey mushrooms are aromatic mushrooms that will become a delicious decoration for any table. You can use them to make soups, salads, casseroles and other healthy dishes.