How to dry mushrooms: in the sun, in the oven, microwave and electric dryer. How to dry porcini mushrooms: grandmother's method

Drying mushrooms is the best way to preserve the best that mushrooms give us. If you want to enjoy this wonderful product all year round, then drying is ideal for this purpose.

Mushrooms are a valuable source of protein, iodine, iron, potassium, phosphorus, zinc and vitamins D, C, PP.

It is important to note that only tubular mushrooms and some lamellar mushrooms can be dried (russula and dung beetles, for example, are not suitable for drying). Mushrooms with milky juice are not dried, as they have a very sharp and bitter taste.

For drying, they usually take champignons, mushrooms, boletus, autumn mushrooms, boletus, mossiness mushrooms, boletus and chanterelles.

Mushrooms for drying are harvested in sunny, dry weather.

Before drying, you need to clean the mushrooms from debris and earth. It is not recommended to wash them: most of the valuable substances and aroma will go away with water, the mushrooms will darken and may become sour. You can wash already dried mushrooms.

Large mushrooms must be cut into quarters or in half. Large legs are cut into strips of 1 cm. For small and medium mushrooms, the cap should be separated from the legs and dried whole. Very small mushrooms do not need to be cut and divided - they are dried whole. You can also cut all the mushrooms into strips (in case there are a lot of mushrooms and you don’t want to mess with them for a long time) - in this case, the drying process will proceed much faster. Mushrooms are best cut lengthwise.

You can also separate the mushrooms by type or size to make it easier to dry.

To dry mushrooms in the oven, you need to prepare a baking sheet. Arrange the already peeled and cut mushrooms on a baking sheet, lightly brushing it with oil. Also put baking paper on a baking sheet, then oil is not needed. You can lay out the mushrooms not on a baking sheet, but on a wire rack. In this case, you will need baking paper to place on the wire rack and arrange the mushrooms.

Mushrooms need to be laid out so that the caps look up, and there is a little space between the mushrooms (1 mm).

Another way to dry mushrooms in the oven is drying on knitting needles. If you decide to dry mushrooms with knitting needles, you will need wooden knitting needles that are as long as the width of the oven. The ends of the knitting needles need to be pointed and mushrooms strung on them. When the needles are completely filled, they must be placed in the oven so that the ends lie on the horizontal ribs of the side walls of the oven.

If the oven does not have special ventilation holes, you need to leave the door ajar. If there is a fan, turn it on.

At the beginning of drying, a low temperature is set - approximately 50 ° C. The initial stage of mushroom drying should take place at a low temperature, because if the temperature is immediately high, white droplets will appear on the mushrooms - protein substances, the mushrooms will darken. As soon as you notice droplets, the temperature must be lowered, and the mushrooms removed from the oven.

After about 1.5 - 2 hours, the temperature is increased to 70-80 ° C. At this temperature, the mushrooms should be dried for about 2 hours, after which the temperature in the oven is lowered again to 55 ° C and the mushrooms are dried for another 2 hours.

During the drying process, do not forget to occasionally stir the mushrooms.

Dry mushrooms must be selected, the rest dried.

It is difficult to say how long it takes to dry the mushrooms in the oven, since the drying time for each mushroom is different.

When dried, approximately 76% of water is evaporated from mushrooms.

If the mushrooms have not dried completely in the oven, they can be dried in the air or indoors.

Whether the mushroom has dried up is easy to check - you need to break the hat. If the inside of the mushroom is wet, it has not dried yet and drying must be continued.

Dried mushrooms are convenient and easy to store. They are stored for a long time and do not lose their taste and aroma.

You can store dried mushrooms at any temperature, in a dark place. It is good to store mushrooms in glass jars, clay pots, tin, wooden and plastic food storage boxes. It is not necessary to close the container with dried mushrooms hermetically. You can just wrap it in foil. Dried mushrooms are also stored in bags, but moths can start there.

People started drying mushrooms a long time ago. Drying is one of the best ways to harvest them. Because after simple manipulations, they can not only be stored longer than fresh ones, but also acquire a very pleasant and interesting taste and aroma that will add zest to the dish. In addition, dried mushrooms are much more nutritious than salted or pickled ones. And due to the fact that they dry out, lose weight and decrease in size, they are much more convenient and easier to store.

In order for the preparations to please you and your loved ones more than once with their excellent taste in various dishes and to be stored for a long time, it is very important to know how to properly dry mushrooms.

Why do we need dried mushrooms and where to use them?

It would seem, why might you need dried mushrooms that have a completely unappetizing look? Well, they may not look very beautiful, but when cooked they are able to turn the most ordinary dish into a real culinary masterpiece.

Dried blanks can be used for stews or casseroles. They are also ideal for making soups. In addition, dried mushrooms can be ground in a blender to produce a powder that can be used to make delicious sauces and gravies.

If you want to cook a light and hearty soup, then there is nothing better than this kind of seasoning, which will give your dish a delicate aroma and rich taste. And besides, the dried product is not as heavy as fresh mushrooms.

It is good to use the powder for the preparation of those dishes in which mushrooms are usually not put, but in which a slight specific aftertaste would be very useful. For example, borscht and mashed soups.

It is very easy to use such a blank. Simply pour the dry powder into warm water and let it sit for about thirty minutes. After that, it can be added to dishes during cooking.

What to dry?

Have you decided to dry mushrooms and don't know where to start? Of course, with sorting everything that you have collected. Knowing which species are suitable for harvesting is no less important than knowing how to dry mushrooms. Yes, not all of them are suitable for drying, because they contain bitterness that does not disappear, and then the dishes acquire an unpleasant aftertaste. If you want your preparation to be not only fragrant, but also tasty, you need to figure out which mushrooms are dried.

For this, tubular and marsupial mushrooms are ideal. These include white, boletus, boletus, mossiness mushrooms. You can also dry boletus, morels, truffles, chanterelles, mushrooms and many others. There is no difference between how to dry chanterelle or white mushrooms. You can choose whichever method suits you best.

Pay due attention to product sorting. Mushrooms should be fresh enough, not old, strong and healthy.

How to dry mushrooms correctly

The most important thing is to properly prepare the product. This is the key to success. Let's look at the basic rules.

• The first thing to do is, of course, to clean the selected mushrooms from various dirt: earth, leaves and grass.
• Next, you will need a dry cloth or napkin. It is necessary to wipe them very carefully and carefully so that they become dry. They do not need to be washed before drying.
• All prepared mushrooms should be cut into small thin slices half a centimeter thick.
• These slices should be put on a fishing line or any strong thread and hung in those places where there is the most sun. Mushrooms dry for at least a week.

Remember that such a procedure on the street can only be carried out on hot, clear and sunny days, otherwise the product will not dry to the desired state.

Other options

In addition to the above, the easiest way, there are other options for how to dry mushrooms. For example, this can be done in an oven, a conventional oven that is in every home. Or you can purchase a special electric dryer.

But the best way is when the fungi are first slightly dried in the sun, on the street, and then dried in the oven. So they turn out tastier, and it takes much less time to harvest. However, this method cannot be called economical. Why? Let's consider.

Using an oven to dry mushrooms

The oven is a versatile device. You can not only fry chicken and bake cakes in it - it is also great for drying this or that product. Let's figure out how to dry mushrooms in the oven.

We perform all the actions that are described above, cut the mushrooms into plates, but do not string them on a thread. We will need a baking sheet covered with parchment, on which we need to carefully lay out the sliced ​​\u200b\u200bslices so that they do not touch.

Now it remains to put the container in the oven, heated to 45 degrees, and wait until the mushrooms begin to stick to the paper a little. After that, the temperature must be increased to 70 degrees. The most important thing is not to close the door all the way so that the air can circulate.

Drying in the oven lasts two days, with breaks for cooling. As you can see, this is not a very convenient way. Firstly, the stove will have to work for a long time, gas or electricity is consumed, whichever it is. And secondly, when the house is hot, a preheated oven heats the air even more, because the stove door cannot be closed all the way.

Dry mushrooms in an electric dryer

If cooking the workpiece in the oven and on the street is not the way you need, then let's look at how to dry mushrooms in an electric dryer. First of all, let's look at what kind of device it is. An electric dryer is a special household appliance designed for drying fruits and vegetables. It's also great for mushrooms. This is the most convenient and economical way.

The dryer is very easy to use. Prepare the mushrooms: clean them of dirt and cut into thin slices. Lay out evenly at a small distance from each other on special trays. Close the device, set the required time - and that's it, you just have to wait. After about six to eight hours, your mushrooms will be dry.

Readiness to check is very easy: take one slice and bend it. If it bends, but does not crumble, has elasticity, then the product is ready, i.e. dried. Just check readiness carefully. If you do not dry the mushrooms well, they will not be stored for a long time, they will become moldy and quickly deteriorate.

Rules for storing blanks

How to dry mushrooms, we have already figured out. It turned out that it is quite simple, and then how many delicious dishes you can cook!

But it’s not enough just to dry the product, you also need to know how to store it properly. After all, most likely you will not use up everything that you have prepared at once. Improper storage can cause mushrooms to become soggy and moldy.

In addition, you need to remember that they absorb odors very quickly, so you can only keep them in rooms with fresh, not stale air, and away from products that smell strongly. The room should be well ventilated and dry.

White mushrooms and morels are best packed in crates or boxes. Other types can be put in bags or bags.

Also, if there is not much dry product, you can store it in clean, tightly closed jars. If everything is done correctly, all storage conditions are observed, then they can lie like this for several years.

The best temperature for storing dry mushrooms is no more than seven degrees above zero. And the humidity of the air should not exceed seventy-five percent.

Good day to all!

Autumn has come and, in addition to summer harvests, many rush to the forest for mushrooms. Fresh mushroom roast is a wonderful thing. However, preparing them for the winter, so that later you can enjoy a delicious delicacy in the snowy season, is also not bad.

Mushrooms are a perishable product. And if you have collected quite a lot of them, then the question may arise, where to put them? You can't overcook everything...

This is where drying comes in. When the weather is warm, sunny, it's best to dry. I strung it on a string, hung it up and let it dry.

And what to do when the sun is low? Then we use household kitchen appliances. With their help, you can dry the mushrooms quickly enough, regardless of the weather.

For drying, only fresh, strong mushrooms without spots and wormholes are needed.

Unlike fruits, mushrooms are not washed before drying. They absorb moisture very well. They only need to be cleaned, removing all dirt and foliage with a knife or a soft cloth.

Roots are cut off completely. In terms of size, mushrooms no more than 10 cm are best suited for drying. If they are larger, then they can be frozen, pre-cut and heated in a frying pan without oil. This will allow excess moisture to evaporate.

An electric oven is very well suited for drying mushrooms. And if it has a timer and a temperature controller, then the process will go quickly.

Mushrooms cleaned of dirt and leaves are cut into slices. Hats and legs are cut separately. If they are small, then you can cut them lengthwise.

Arrange the mushrooms ready for drying on a baking sheet or wire rack in one row, so they will dry much better.

We start by preheating the oven to 50 degrees, after which we put baking sheets with mushrooms in it. At this temperature, mushrooms stand for 1.5 hours. During this time, they will slightly wilt.

Then we raise the temperature to 80 degrees and hold it for 2 hours.

After that, the temperature is again lowered to 55 degrees and dried for another 4 hours.

In total, the mushrooms are dried in the oven for up to 8 hours. If they are very damp, drying may take up to 24 hours.

During drying, baking sheets in the oven must be interchanged, and the fruits themselves should be mixed.

By the end of drying, mushrooms usually lose up to 90% of their mass. For example, with 10 kg of fresh, you can get about a kilogram of dried.

How to dry porcini mushrooms in the microwave

Drying mushrooms in the microwave is somewhat faster than in the oven. However, since there is less space in it, it will have to be dried in portions.

Mushrooms are prepared similarly, peeled and cut into slices or plates.

They are laid out on a special dish that is designed for microwaves. Further, the microwave is set to a power of 100 watts.

Time to install 20 minutes.

After that, we take out the mushrooms and drain the liquid.

Then the mushrooms stand with the door open for 10 minutes and the drying procedure is repeated. Dry again for 20 minutes. The number of drying steps depends on the thickness of the sliced ​​fruit.

It is better not to set the microwave to high power, otherwise the mushrooms may bake!))

When drying is over, the finished product is best stored in linen bags.

Video how to dry mushrooms in the oven

It takes longer to dry mushrooms in the oven, but it includes a lot of them. Yes, and you can place not only on grates and baking sheets, but even hang on strings.

Watch the video below for how to dry mushrooms in the oven.

Drying porcini mushrooms in a dryer for vegetables and fruits

An electric dryer is most convenient for drying mushrooms. The result is much better than with other methods.

After cleaning the mushrooms, cut them into plates. In principle, you can cut into any slices, the main thing is that they are not thick.

Then, chopped mushrooms are laid out on pallets and inserted into the dryer.

We turn on the dryer and no longer follow it. This is her beauty. If you have to sit at the oven and monitor the temperature, here the dryer works independently.

At the end of drying, we lay out the finished product in fabric or paper bags and store in a dry place.

Some advise storing mushrooms in a glass or ceramic tightly sealed container.

Drying mushrooms, as you can see, does not take much work, even when drying in the oven. Even if you spend a lot of time, you can enjoy them later when they can't be found fresh.

A detailed article on how to properly dry mushrooms.

One of the best ways to preserve the taste and nutritional qualities of mushrooms for a long time is to dry them, which, as a rule, tubular mushrooms are subjected to. In some mushrooms, the caps and parts of the legs are dried, in others - only the caps. It is best to dry porcini mushrooms. But now, in addition to porcini mushrooms, they also dry boletus, boletus, boletus, goats and mossiness mushrooms. Lamellar ones are usually not dried, since many of them contain a bitter milky juice and retain bitterness when dry. In addition, dry agaric mushrooms are difficult and even impossible to distinguish from each other, and most importantly, from poisonous ones. That is why the sanitary supervision authorities prohibit the sale of such mushrooms in shops and collective farm markets. However, at home, for their own needs and harvesting for the future, the population dries mushrooms and chanterelles. Morels and stitches are also dried, but the oven cannot be used for this, as they burn easily. Morels and lines can be eaten only after two months of storage.

Do not dry old mushrooms: they may contain toxins.

It is very important to determine the end point of mushroom drying. Under-dried mushrooms can quickly become moldy, over-dried mushrooms break easily, are excessively hard, do not soak in water and do not even boil soft, they are tasteless. Well-dried mushrooms are slightly bent, relatively easy to break, but do not crumble. People say: "Dry mushrooms for the future, but do not overdry."

Dried mushrooms are very hygroscopic, they absorb moisture from the surrounding air, easily become damp and moldy. In addition, they quickly absorb foreign odors. That's why they should be stored in dry, well-ventilated areas at a temperature of 10-15 ° C and best in canvas bags or food bags made of thick paper.

It is often recommended to store them in tightly closed glass or metal jars, but in these cases, “living creatures” sometimes start up in the mushrooms. Before cooking, it is good to hold dried mushrooms for several hours in salted milk - they will become as fresh. Dried chanterelles are better boiled soft, if you add a little baking soda to the water.

Depending on the type, size and commercial qualities, dried mushrooms are divided into 3 main varieties:
1) white sliced ​​​​(preserving aroma and nutritional qualities);
2) legs of white mushrooms;
3) a mixture of mushrooms (boletus, boletus, mossiness mushrooms, goats), bearing the name "Dried black mushrooms" in the trade.

Preparing mushrooms for drying

Only strong, undamaged mushrooms are suitable for drying. They are thoroughly cleaned of needles, leaves, earth and various litter, wiped with a dry cloth. They should not be washed or moistened - this complicates drying and reduces the quality of products (drying, the mushrooms darken and lose their aroma).

Peeled mushrooms are sorted, sorted by size and quality. Then, in boletus, boletus, goatlings, oil, mossiness mushrooms, the leg is cut flush with the hat, and in porcini mushrooms, only the lower part of the leg. In this case, it is recommended to use bone or horn knives, since metal mushrooms turn black. White fresh mushrooms are cut (together with a hat with a leg) along with a sharp knife into pieces no more than 10-15 mm thick. The slices are laid out in one row on sieves and dried in a room protected from rain, then dried in an oven or dryer.

Sometimes the legs of porcini mushrooms are dried separately from the caps. Having cleared of litter, they are cut lengthwise into plates with a thickness of 4 to 6 mm.

For large blanks, the legs are passed through a mushroom cutter. Dry them in the same way as hats with legs.

About one tenth (by weight) of dry caps of porcini mushrooms, cut into thin plates, is added to the dried legs for taste. To speed up drying, the caps of large black mushrooms are cut in half or into four parts.

Drying methods

There are many ways to dry mushrooms: in dryers, Russian ovens, ovens, in the sun, etc. But not all of them are acceptable. In rural areas, for example, porcini and other mushrooms are often dried in Russian ovens on a bare floor. As a result, poor-quality products are obtained from excellent raw materials. Mushrooms become contaminated, covered with ash, dry out unevenly, become unflavored and tasteless. In other cases, mushrooms are strung on a twig (willow, sometimes birch, aspen, juniper or other) and placed edgewise in the oven on a hearth to dry. The lower edges of the mushrooms, touching the hearth, burn, dry out and get dirty in the ashes. It is clear that such methods of drying mushrooms should not be used. The yield of dried mushrooms is 10-12% by weight of fresh ones.

Drying in a Russian oven
So that when drying in a Russian oven, the mushrooms do not burn and do not get dirty, after heating it, they clean it from coals and ash with a wet washcloth. After some time, a thin layer of rye straw is laid on the floor and mushrooms are placed on it with their hats down. You can use for drying and iron baking sheets (sheets). They are also covered with a layer of straw, on top of which the mushrooms are placed with their hats down so that they do not touch. Without straw bedding, mushrooms burn and acquire an unpleasant aftertaste. Devices are also used for drying mushrooms in the oven. For example, mushrooms are strung through the middle of the cap on thin wire tinned or stainless steel knitting needles (ramrods) stuck in wooden planks, which are then placed on edge in the oven, in the form of gable roofs.

Mushrooms on knitting needles are dried without touching the hearth. The oven temperature must be maintained between 40 and 60°C. The heat covers the mushrooms on the spokes from all sides evenly.

On the first day, the mushrooms are only dried, on the second (at the same temperature) they are dried. At the same time, they do not burn, do not become dirty, do not dry out, they only slightly lose their smell.

There is another way. Thin wooden knitting needles are made from 20 to 30 cm long. Large mushrooms are strung on long knitting needles, small ones on short ones. The lower ends of the needles are stuck into a box with dry sand and put in the oven.

Small mushrooms dry faster, large ones slower; accordingly, the former are taken out of the oven earlier, the latter later. At the same time, the mushrooms remain clean and dry evenly.

Drying in the oven
Thick paper is laid on metal baking sheets, clean twigs or sticks chopped from wood are placed on it in not very dense rows, and on top - mushrooms in one layer, with caps down.

Drying is carried out at the same temperature as in the Russian oven. The oven door is kept ajar.

Drying over a hot stove
At home, you can also dry mushrooms over a hot stove, at the hot wall of a Russian or Dutch oven, strung on threads or twine.

Drying in rotary dryers
Mushrooms are poured onto galvanized nets, which are placed in a drying chamber and rotated on a carousel. First, the mushrooms are dried at a temperature of 37 to 50 ° C, then it is raised to 60-80 ° C and finally dried. The duration of drying in special dryers is 4-6 hours.

Drying in the sun
On hot, cloudless days, mushrooms can be dried in the sun. To do this, piercing the mushrooms with a needle through the middle of the legs and caps, string them (first large, then smaller ones) in 50 or more pieces on strong threads, after which they hang them on stands in the sun at some distance from each other and stand until completely dried. For drying in the sun, you can also use specially made coasters with metal rods (ramrods), stringing mushrooms on them. After placing the mushrooms in a sunny place, they are covered with gauze to protect them from dust and flies. Sufficiently sun-dried mushrooms are cleaned in a dry room. The same is done with the onset of cloudy weather, an increase in air humidity. Mushrooms are dried in a Russian oven, oven or over a hot stove. This, as a rule, is necessary in the conditions of the northwestern and even central regions of our country, since it is not always possible to dry mushrooms well in the sun here. Stitches and morels (morel cap) are dried only in the air-solar method. When dried in ovens, they burn, and during storage they quickly become moldy, as a result of which they lose their nutritional qualities. These mushrooms, cleaned of forest debris, are wiped with a damp cloth to remove sand and earth. Then they are strung on threads or laid out on sieves and placed under a canopy in a well-ventilated place for drying. After some time, dried mushrooms are transferred to the sun. Dried stitches and morels should be intact, free of impurities, not overgrown, well dried, with a moisture content of no more than 14%. The best dried mushrooms are obtained when they are cooked through two stages. First, the prepared mushrooms are exposed to a relatively low temperature - within 30-50 ° C - for 1-3 hours. At the same time, they are dried due to the evaporation of a significant part of the surface moisture. Then drying is continued at a higher temperature - 70-80 ° C, which should not be exceeded, since the quality of the product deteriorates, and porcini mushrooms, in addition, turn black.

Mushrooms are usually dried at a temperature of 50-60 ° C, that is, in a light heat.

During drying, a constant supply of fresh air to the mushrooms and the removal of the moisture they release must be ensured, for which the pipe and damper of the Russian stove, the oven door are kept ajar. The use of various devices in this case (sieves, boards or a box of sand with vertically standing knitting needles, etc.) allows not only to avoid pollution, but also to improve the conditions for drying mushrooms, since heated air flows around them from all sides.

By the way

If dried mushrooms crumble during storage, do not throw away the crumbs. Pound them into powder and store in a well-sealed glass jar in a cool, dry place. Mushroom sauces and broths can be prepared from this powder.