Store Oyster Mushroom: Best way to preserve mushrooms

Mushrooms are a product that may not stay fresh for long. In rare cases, several days. For example, it is better not to store oyster mushrooms for more than one day, but to harvest them as soon as they are cut. Most housewives cook these mushrooms right away, trying not to buy them for the future, but how to extend the time if a large amount of this tasty and nutritious mushroom has fallen into your hands?

 We will talk about how to store oyster mushrooms, how much fresh oyster mushrooms are stored in the refrigerator, and what other ways to extend the shelf life of the product will be discussed later in the article.

store oyster mushroom

Preparing oyster mushroom for storing

In order for mushrooms to be stored for a long time, not to lose their taste and quality characteristics, they must be properly processed and prepared for storage. There are several best ways to preserve oyster mushroom:

  • freezing;
  • drying;
  • pickling;
  • salting.

Before treating mushrooms with one of the chosen methods, you must first examine them for damaged areas, dry or yellow spots, rot, holes, and insects. Good mushrooms are bright and smell good. Once the product has been inspected and selected, cleaning can begin.

Cleaning is one of the most important steps in preparing a product for storage. Oyster mushrooms, due to the peculiarities of growth, have practically no dirt and dust on their surface. Therefore, before cleaning, they can not be soaked in water. You should carefully sort out all the mushrooms and remove the bad ones, it is important not to miss anything, since even a small speck of rot or mold threatens the safety of the entire mushroom crop. Remove the skin, for which rinse the mushrooms under high pressure of water, and then fold it back so that the glass is excess liquid.

how long oyster mushrooms store in fridge?

If oyster mushrooms were previously properly prepared, then with a high probability they can be stored in the refrigerator for a long time. Before this, in no case should you leave the mushrooms to soak, because after gaining excess moisture, the product will lose its taste properties.

oyster mushroom storage temperature

The storage temperature of oyster mushrooms in a conventional refrigerator should not exceed +2 degrees. At this temperature, they can lie for about 4 days, provided that they have been properly processed and packaged before.

mushroom storage container for fridge

The container for storing oyster mushrooms in the refrigerator must be airtight. Before this, you can wrap the product in clean parchment paper. To keep the moisture in when storing mushrooms in containers, it is recommended to put a damp towel under them.

where to store oyster mushrooms in fridge

In many modern refrigerators, the so-called 0-degree freshness zone is organized. As a rule, these are the lower shelves of the refrigerator. They are the best place for long-term (several days) storage of oyster mushrooms.

Best way to preserve Oyster mushrooms in Freezer

Freezing is one of the favorite ways for housewives to preserve various products for a long time. Oyster mushrooms can also be frozen fresh, as well as boiled and fried. However, in order for them to look presentable after defrosting and retain their taste, it is worth following some recommendations.

best way to preserve oyster mushrooms

Store Fresh oyster mushroom

Before freezing fresh oyster mushrooms, in no case should they be washed. Manually clean crops of damage, bad spots, debris and dust. Lay the bends on a flat surface so that they do not touch each other and place in the freezer, preferably the quick freeze compartment, for several hours. After the mushrooms are completely frozen, arrange them in sealed containers or bags and send them to the appropriate compartment of the freezer for storage.

In this form, mushrooms can be stored for up to a year, but a prerequisite for such a period is to maintain a stable temperature of 12 degrees. It is necessary to distribute the mushrooms into packages in small portions, designed for the preparation of one dish. It should also be remembered that once-thawed mushrooms can no longer be re-frozen, they must be eaten immediately.

Store boiled oyster mushrooms

Boiled mushrooms can be stored even longer than fresh frozen ones. Mushrooms prepared in the proper way to cut mushroom and boiled in salted water for about 15 minutes. The boiled product is thrown back so that the glass is water, and even squeezed a little to minimize the amount of moisture. Then the product must be packaged in portioned bags and laid out evenly in the freezer. Such boiled mushrooms are ideal for soups, sauces, stews and even for subsequent frying.

fried

Not only boiled, but also fried oyster mushrooms are equally well stored. This is a simple and convenient way for those who prefer to eat mushrooms in this form. You need to fry the mushrooms for freezing until all the liquid has evaporated from them. It is not recommended to add salt or other spices.

After roasting, oyster mushrooms are allowed to cool completely, laid out in portions in bags or containers and frozen. It is not forbidden not to pre-fry, but bake the mushrooms in the oven. This method will also appeal to lovers of ready-made dishes with the addition of fried mushrooms.

Other ways to store oyster mushroom

In addition to the usual freezing, there are several other, obvious and not very ways of long-term storage of oyster mushrooms. Some have long been popular, some have only recently begun to gain mass. Let’s talk more about each of them.

Drying oyster mushroom

Drying is one of the oldest harvesting methods. Mushrooms were usually dried on an oven or by threading them. Over time, the method lost its popularity and now, with the invention of the dryer, it is gaining momentum again. But even if you do not have a special dryer, you can prepare mushrooms in a conventional oven, strictly observing the temperature regime. It should not exceed 50 degrees, and the duration of the process is about 8 hours.

Mushrooms dried in any of the ways must be kept in the air for another couple of days. After the mushrooms are dried again at a temperature of 70 degrees for 6 hours. Ready mushrooms are recommended to be stored in glass jars or organic cotton bags. The storage place should not be damp, air circulation should be strictly monitored.

Salting oyster mushroom

Salting mushrooms is perhaps one of the most popular harvesting methods. It is rare to find a hostess who salts oyster mushrooms, nevertheless, these mushrooms are preserved in this way. Salting is done in hot and cold ways. When using the cold method, the mushrooms must be cleaned, prepared, cut and soaked in a salt solution for 6 days. Every day the water must be changed, otherwise the mushrooms will become bitter.

Hot salting involves boiling the product in salted water for 15-20 minutes. It is allowed to add spices, most often it is bay leaf, allspice, cloves. After that, the finished product is laid out in sterilized jars and tightly closed with nylon lids. It is recommended to store the finished product at a temperature not exceeding 8 degrees.

Store Oyster Mushroom by Pickling

Pickled mushrooms are very popular. This method of storing the product has been known for a long time and is widely used by housewives. Most often, vinegar, allspice, garlic and some other spices to taste are used for the marinade. The marinade is boiled, mushrooms are added to it and boiled for 30-40 minutes. After the mushrooms are laid out in jars, poured with the remains of the marinade and rolled up.

There is another popular pickling method. To do this, boil the mushrooms in salted water, arrange them in ready-made jars. Next, prepare the marinade with your favorite spices, boil it, pour it into jars with mushrooms and roll it up. This method of harvesting will allow you to store mushrooms for no more than six months, but the first one will keep the product edible for a whole year.

conclusions

Often, housewives are not satisfied with how much fresh oyster mushrooms are stored in the refrigerator, so they use various culinary tricks. So that storing oyster mushrooms does not cause difficulties, you should remember:

  1. Mushrooms should not be soaked, as they will lose their taste.
  2. Do not wash oyster mushrooms before freezing.
  3. The maximum storage time for mushrooms is about a year.
  4. Do not re-freeze thawed mushrooms.
  5. In order for oyster mushrooms to be stored for a long time, all damage must be removed from them.