Is it possible to dry mushrooms in the oven. Which mushrooms are best? How long to dry mushrooms

When there are sooo many mushrooms, and eating them freshly prepared is not only not desirable, but even impossible :), the freezer is full of frozen mushrooms in fresh and boiled form, and in the refrigerator and underground there is no longer room for jars of pickled and salty, here you remember that mushrooms can still be dried!
You can dry mushrooms at home in different ways, and the method depends on the weather and whether you have certain gadgets, such as a vegetable dryer, microwave or oven :)
Most importantly, mushrooms should not be wormy. 1 gluttonous and prolific worm is able to ruin the entire baking sheet of mushrooms!

What mushrooms can be dried

As a rule, those mushrooms are dried that are suitable in dried form for mushroom soup. These are, first of all, white mushrooms, boletus, boletus, boletus. Soup from such dried mushrooms is the most rich and fragrant. They also dry mushrooms, and champignons, and mushrooms, and many other fungi. Most importantly, make sure that all of them are edible.

How to air dry mushrooms at home

If the weather outside is dry, even if not hot, even if not very sunny and even a little windy (the wind will also help us dry the mushrooms) - the choice is clear, we will dry the mushrooms in the simplest way: in the air. We clean mushrooms without water, noble mushrooms are usually almost clean, except that at the leg you will need to scrape off the ground with a knife, and remove the snotty skin from the oil. Slice mushrooms into 2mm thick slices. Spread out on a clean baking sheet in a single layer. We put the tray in the shade in a ventilated room, on a balcony or on the street. You can cover with gauze so that the dust does not sit. After a day or two, dried mushrooms are ready and can be poured into a storage bag.
Or we put mushrooms on a strong thread alternately with a hat-leg, hang them in the shade. It will dry out in a day or so. There is more work, but mushrooms dressed on a thread dry out much more evenly and faster, not only in the air, but also in the oven.
Honey mushrooms are definitely dried in this way, there is very little water in them, they will dry out anyway, there is nothing to transfer electricity to them.

Drying mushrooms in the oven

Again, we clean without water, because later it will be very difficult to get rid of it. We cut it depending on the humidity of the mushroom - the drier it is initially, the larger the pieces can be. The thinner you cut, the faster the drying will take place. Mushrooms can generally be dried in the oven as a whole. The fastest way to dry is to put on threads and hang them at the exit from the oven in several rows (tie the edges of the thread to the handles of the drawers, for example). We open the door slightly (the mushrooms should hang between the door and the oven). Turn on the smallest oven heat. Dried mushrooms are ready in an hour.


If you are too lazy to put on a thread and decide to dry on a baking sheet, we cover the baking sheet with two sheets of parchment paper. Spread the mushrooms in one layer so that they do not touch each other. It is not worth putting mushrooms directly on the tray, the metal tray will get very hot and the mushrooms will fry and turn black. We heat the oven to 50 degrees C. A baking sheet in the oven. Leave the door well ajar to allow moist air to escape. In this mode, we dry the mushrooms until a dried film is formed, then the temperature can be raised to 60-70 degrees. In this mode, the mushrooms will dry for 6-12 hours, depending on their initial moisture content and the thickness of the cut.
If the oven has a mode with air circulation (convection), be sure to turn it on. At a temperature of about 60 degrees with convection, the drying of mushrooms ends after 30 minutes to an hour.

How to dry mushrooms in the microwave

Drying mushrooms in the microwave is quite a hassle, so be patient right away. We clean the mushrooms without water, blot excess moisture with a paper towel. If the mushrooms are too wet, they will cook in the microwave instead of drying out. Finely chop. Arrange on a wire rack or plate lined with parchment paper. We put it in the microwave, turn on the minimum mode (100-150 W) and set it for 15 minutes. At the end of the time, open and ventilate the oven from the moisture released from the mushrooms for 5-10 minutes. Repeat heating and opening 3-4 more times.

Drying mushrooms in an electric dryer

This device is designed just to dry both vegetables, fruits and mushrooms. We clean without water, cut into thin slices, lay out on removable pallets. We dry the mushrooms at a temperature of 30 to 70 degrees with a light breath. Therefore, it is better to choose an electric dryer with a fan and a thermostat that allows you to control the temperature.

How to dry mushrooms in air fryer

We clean, cut in the same way as above. We insert a skewer between the body and the cover of the device for the unhindered exit of moist air, select a high speed on the device. The temperature of the procedure is 60-70 ºC. The total drying time is one and a half hours.

How to dry worm mushrooms

To begin with, it is better not to dry wormy mushrooms. You can't eat them. Worms and larvae of other insects secrete poisonous metabolic products into the fruit pulp, so the use of worm mushrooms can lead to food poisoning in the same way as the use of old or poisonous mushrooms. Many housewives dip such mushrooms into salt water to drive out the worms. However, the decay products remain in the fruiting bodies of the fungus, causing various intestinal diseases. If you dry the mushrooms in the air on a thread, as some suggest, all the worms also do not immediately “fall out”, but first multiply, and you will dry just those products of their vital activity that were mentioned above.
But in case of a famine, it is, of course, also possible to dry such mushrooms. To begin with, cut them into thin plates and pour strong brine - a tablespoon of salt with a slide into a mug of water. We stand 30 minutes, longer is not necessary. Rinse thoroughly under running water to wash off all dead animals and their secretions. Spread on a thick paper or woven napkin, blot dry from water. Dry by any of the above methods using heat.

How to store dried mushrooms

Qualitatively dried mushrooms are light gray or brown, with a characteristic aroma, not brittle, but not wet either. If they turn black, then either you overcooked them, or they were too wet. It is better to store dried mushrooms in closed paper bags or tied bags made of cotton or linen, always in a dry place. Often there is a need to store dried mushrooms in the kitchen, then you can use a glass package with a fairly tight-fitting lid to prevent moisture from entering. But periodically control, in this case, the condition of the mushrooms, and if necessary, dry them again.

And a few words about dried mushrooms

Yes, mushrooms can also wither. I'm not sure about the usefulness, but the flavor of the soup will be great. Mushrooms are not washed, cut into 2 times thicker than for drying, hang on a thread and leave not in a draft. On the second or third day, they will dry out a little, then, as it were, get slightly wet, and on the fourth, if they have not dried up, we dry them in any convenient way.

The most pleasant and delicious gift from the village is still a bunch of fragrant, delicious dried mushrooms. Many urban residents have a question - is it really only in the countryside that the right process for choosing and drying mushrooms is known? In fact, anyone can possess such an art, it is only important to follow some simple recommendations. But before studying the main points of drying mushrooms, it is advisable to find out in general what useful qualities and value prepared food from mushrooms has.

Dried mushroom is a great guest on any table, not only due to its properties, which are completely preserved during drying - such a product is also much more useful than canned mushrooms. When pickled, the mushroom loses the bulk of its valuable qualities - more than half of the substances evaporate, and in the process of drying, this vegetable loses only water from its composition.

The dried product has a very high calorie content, which can reach 250 kcal and more, but there is hardly any doubt that its energy value is very high. At the same time, for all the seeming simplicity of the process of drying mushrooms, it requires certain skills, experience and following a number of tips. Only this determines how valuable, tasty the finished food will be.

Packing by type

Any mushroom picker prefers to collect mushrooms in such a way that as a result, a real mushroom assortment of boletus, porcini mushrooms, butter, egg capsules and other varieties suitable for eating that have just come into view are collected in the basket. With all such a set, something needs to be done in order to somehow prepare the product in the future. And the simplest method is to dry them, but the problem is that this is not the most useful for every mushroom. Among the variety of edible mushrooms, some are suitable for frying, others for canning, and still others are well suited for drying.

What mushrooms to choose for further drying?

The most suitable and versatile option is the porcini mushroom, it is beautiful in any finished form. In addition to it, each tubular fungus can be dried: oily mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, mossiness mushrooms. In addition, the tubular variety is also considered noble - it is classified as an "elite" among mushrooms.

Mushrooms that have a lamellar hat are absolutely not suitable for drying. After drying, they begin to be more bitter. The list of these mushrooms includes chanterelles, russula, honey mushrooms.

Drying process: preparation

The first problem that a person who wants to dry mushrooms faces is the following: it is necessary to make sure that the wild mushroom, being initially dirty, turns into a clean one. The fact is that it is undesirable to subject mushrooms to wet cleaning, because this will prolong the drying process for some time due to the fact that the product absorbs excess water. Therefore, the main method of cleaning mushrooms is an ordinary knife. Using it, you must carefully remove the needles, fragments of leaves and plants from the hat. It is not recommended to touch the skin, because most often the mushroom is dried along with it.

Sand on the legs and caps can be removed with a soft brush that must not be wetted. The rest of the sand is washed off already in winter, because the dried mushroom, before you start cooking it, is certainly soaked in water.

It is advisable to use a plastic knife. Despite the inconvenience of handling it, it is such a knife that does not lead to the fact that the pulp of the fungus is oxidized. And the oxidation of the legs or caps causes great damage to the taste properties of the dried mushroom.

In order for the mushrooms to have a pronounced smell and pleasant taste after drying, it is necessary to follow the following drying rules:

1. A large cap of mushrooms must be cut into several identical fragments.
2. Large legs of some mushrooms are recommended to be cut in the form of washers, the thickness of which does not exceed 2 cm.
3. You need to start drying in natural conditions - under the sun's rays, and the final stage should be carried out in any device that is in the house: oven, oven, microwave.
4. Regardless of the chosen drying method, it is necessary to interrupt drying about 2-3 times to air the mushrooms.

After the end of the drying process, it is necessary to decide on the container for storing the product. These can be jars made of glass that can be firmly closed, bags made of paper or woven fabric, but in no case should you use cellophane.

According to mushroom pickers, you can store dried mushrooms for as long as you like, but it is recommended to use mushrooms for food within a year after drying. Store in a well ventilated area.

In open area
The most commonly used drying method is natural drying. But this is feasible under certain conditions, if such an opportunity exists, and weather conditions allow it. Drying mushrooms in a small village or on the balcony of an apartment in a large city are completely different things.

When drying mushrooms in air, they must be pierced with a strong thread, keeping a small distance between individual fragments. Then such a bundle is placed on the most illuminated area. Using gauze or a thin cloth, you can protect the bundle from dust particles and insects.

In the oven
This option is most convenient to use in the city. The oven must be heated to about 45 degrees. Mushrooms are located on the grate, in even rows. Then the raw material is placed in the oven. Do not tightly close the oven door, otherwise the moisture will settle on the walls of the container and the mushrooms may even boil.

After the mushrooms become slightly dried, which will happen in about an hour, you can increase the temperature to 70 degrees and dry the mushrooms again for 4-5 hours. Rotate them regularly to dry evenly.

In the microwave
For such drying, the temperature of the oven should be set to about 100 degrees, and the mushrooms should be placed inside for no more than 20 minutes. After that, it is necessary to open the oven door so that the moisture evaporates, and after 5-10 minutes, dry again for twenty minutes. A batch of mushrooms can be dried in this way in about an hour.

Above the gas stove
This is not the most suitable method, but it will do if there are no other options. Also, it is only suitable if you do not plan to use the stove for cooking in the next few days, otherwise the mushrooms will be able to absorb the flavor of the products.

Mushrooms must be hung almost under the ceiling, then the burners of the stove are lit. If you dry them without turning off the gas stove completely throughout the day, then a batch of mushrooms will dry out in about 2-3 days.

In the Russian stove
Many people sometimes ask if there is a difference between drying mushrooms in an oven or a Russian oven. The oven as a separate way of cooking products is fundamentally different from the oven, not only by the method of air supply, but also by the quality of the final result.

After preparation, the mushrooms can be strung on fine skewers or knitting needles, it is also good if the mushrooms are placed head down on the wire rack. According to an old tradition, they can also be laid out on straw. Raw materials should be decomposed in the oven when the degree drops to 60. If you place the mushrooms in the oven at a higher temperature, this is fraught with the fact that they will deteriorate.

In order to be able to remove moisture protruding from the mushrooms, the damper must be slightly opened, otherwise the air in the oven will not circulate. Also, a specific feature of drying mushrooms in a Russian oven is that it is necessary to open the pipe. In the first stages of drying, the pipe should be opened about three quarters, and then it should be closed in stages.

Given that mushrooms can have different cap sizes, they can dry out unevenly, making it necessary to remove mushrooms that have already dried out of the oven and continue to dry the rest of the batch. Otherwise, raw materials that have been overdried are poorly processed, and under-dried ones may soon deteriorate.

Electric dryer for drying mushrooms
This method is considered as "lazy" as possible. The most important thing here is not to overdo it with the thickness when slicing the mushrooms. The thickness of the strips or washers should not exceed 1 cm, but some mushroom pickers prefer to dry the whole mushrooms. After the time and temperature are set, it remains only to wait until the mushrooms are completely dry and ready.

One of the options for drying mushrooms. If you have collected one or two kilograms of fleshy mushrooms, then in a short time they can be dried by chopping them with “noodles”. The resulting thin strips must be placed at the same distance from each other on a baking sheet or a large dish, then placed in a shaded place that is ventilated and turned over regularly. After that, they must be strung on a forest or thread, hung in a draft (in a place inaccessible to direct sunlight) - preferably under a canopy or roof.

Mushrooms can be dried if their cut pieces are laid out on a horizontal surface. If the weather is warm enough and the sun constantly affects the mushrooms, they will dry out in a few days. One way or another, the moisture remaining in the mushrooms will not play a significant role - under-dried mushrooms can always be brought to readiness using the oven.

The chosen method of drying porcini mushrooms directly determines what their taste properties will be after cooking. The most effective way is to dry the mushrooms in a dryer designed for this purpose.

How to determine readiness

In the case when the mushroom can be easily broken, then it is not yet ready. Any mushroom that has dried completely and with high quality can be easily bent, but it is almost impossible to break it due to its high elasticity and lack of moisture.

Also, the dried mushroom has a light color, there are no various spots. The aroma is pleasant, and the mushroom does not look burnt.

Video: a quick and proven way to dry mushrooms

In autumn, many lovers of quiet hunting bring whole baskets of mushrooms from the forest. Drying is one of the best ways to store these gifts of nature.

Before sending the gifts of the forest to dry, they must be processed, cleaned of sand, dirt and old foliage. Mushrooms should not be washed before drying, otherwise they will lose their characteristic color and aroma. If such a need arises, you can simply wipe them with a damp cloth.

Mushrooms should be cleaned and trimmed with a knife with a stainless steel blade. In this case, the sections of the mushrooms will not darken. Boletus and boletus are completely freed from the legs. In porcini mushrooms, the leg is only slightly trimmed. Spoiled mushrooms should be thrown away.

Small mushrooms are dried whole, and large specimens are cut into ribbons. When drying whole and coarsely chopped mushrooms, it is recommended to use wooden twigs, on which mushrooms can be strung and laid in this form on a baking sheet. Mushrooms, cut into thin plates, are placed on a baking sheet in a uniform thin layer.

How long to dry mushrooms

In an oven at a temperature of 45-60 degrees, mushrooms usually dry for about 5 hours. The oven door must be left ajar while the oven is in operation. In the process, you can gradually raise the temperature, bringing it to 80 degrees. But in this case, the baking sheet should be periodically taken out to be ventilated.

You need to dry the mushrooms until they become brittle. When the drying process is completed, the mushrooms must be allowed to cool and placed in a glass jar. You can also store dried mushrooms in linen bags or paper bags.

What mushrooms are dried

Not all types of mushrooms can be dried. Morels, boletus, boletus, boletus, white are best suited for drying.
We dry mushrooms in the oven in autumn and in cold winter we cook delicious ones from them. Well, those who do not want to dry mushrooms for the winter can cook or.

Mushrooms should be stored in a room with an air temperature of about 7 degrees and low humidity.

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 it will flow much faster. Mushrooms are best cut lengthwise.

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

For drying 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 carry out drying mushrooms in the oven- drying on the 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's hard to say how long it takes drying 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.