Processing mushrooms after harvest
Mushrooms are exposed to high temperatures to completely or partially eliminate their toxicity, bitter taste or unpleasant odor. It should be remembered that such processing impairs the nutritional qualities of the mushrooms, as well as weakens their aroma and taste. Therefore, if there is such an opportunity, it is better not to cook the mushrooms at all, but to fry them in their natural, fresh form. This is quite possible with chanterelles, boletus mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms, summer mushrooms and young autumn mushrooms, as well as many rowers and russula. Even more, some types of mushrooms become viscous after boiling. This happens, for example, with ringed caps, chanterelles, as well as the legs of boletus and aspen mushrooms. It is worth knowing about these features when preparing mushroom dishes.
But with some mushrooms, cooking is indispensable. You have to sacrifice nutritional value in order to dissolve harmful substances in the water. These mushrooms include: volushki (pink and white), some russula (brittle and burning), ordinary lines, milk mushrooms (black and yellow). They need to be cooked for about 15-30 minutes, and then be sure to pour out the broth. The bitter aftertaste of some mushrooms (moths, milkers, serushki, milk mushrooms, bitters, violins, as well as some talkers and russula) is removed by short-term cooking (5-15 minutes is enough). But boiling a gall mushroom is generally useless - the bitterness will not disappear.
Stage one - primary processing of mushrooms. Consists of several consecutive steps:
1) Sort. Different types of mushrooms differ not only in taste, but also in cooking technology. Therefore, pre-sorting does not hurt at all. For example, you can separate mushrooms that need to be boiled from those that can be tossed fresh into the pan. To make the mushrooms convenient to handle, it is recommended to arrange them into piles, depending on the size.
2) Clear debris. Together with the mushrooms, we bring from the forest leaves, needles, pieces of moss and twigs that have adhered to the caps and legs. All this inedible garbage, of course, needs to be removed - scrubbed with a kitchen knife or gently cleaned with a clean cloth. You should be especially careful with mushrooms that are planned to be dried for the winter. Here you can clean the entire surface of the mushroom with a brush, without missing a single fold.
3) Clean with a knife. Some parts of the mushroom are definitely not suitable for food. They must be carefully cut with a knife so as not to risk your health. These are, for example, all softened, damaged or darkened places. If the mushroom is old, then the inside of the cap should also be removed. For some mushrooms, it is recommended to cut off the stem, so that the dish does not turn out to be sticky. And in late butter and russula, they clean the cap - there the skin becomes slimy and bitter during cooking.
4) Rinse with running water.The time for washing the mushrooms should be short so as not to spoil the taste of this product. If you plan to fry the mushrooms, then it is enough to pour over them with cold water. Mushrooms are not washed at all for drying. All other processing methods involve a quick wash in cold water and discarding in a colander so that excess liquid is glass. For these purposes, by the way, a sieve or a flat board without grooves and depressions is also suitable. Some mushrooms are characterized by an uneven surface; dust and sand often collect in their folds. These are hedgehogs, lines, morels and some others. Naturally, these types need to be washed a little longer to remove all the debris. True, experts say that you still cannot get rid of the sand with plain water, and they recommend boiling the mushrooms in boiling water for five minutes, and then draining the water and rinsing in a colander.
5) Soak. This is done to remove any bitter or salty flavor from the mushrooms. In this case, it is recommended to change the water once an hour so that harmful substances go away faster. Soaking also helps the dried mushrooms return to their original moisture. This water can be used as a base for mushroom broth.
6) Slice. Large mushrooms need this, which cannot be cooked whole. Many people separate the hats from the legs and cook them separately to make the dish or canned food in the jar look more attractive. The hat is cut into an even number of parts (two, four, six - it all depends on the size). The leg is neatly cut across, making sure that the pieces do not turn out to be too thick.
II-nd stage - the subsequent (thermal) processing of mushrooms. Includes several methods for your choice:
1) Boiling. The water must be boiled first, add salt to your liking and put mushrooms there. The foam formed during the cooking process must be removed. Boil the mushrooms for about 15-30 minutes. The finished product is thrown into a colander or cooled in cold water.
2) Boiling. Initially, the mushrooms are placed in cold salted water and brought to a boil as quickly as possible. Immediately after boiling, the dishes are removed from the stove. Mushrooms can be gradually cooled in the same water in which they were boiled, or doused with cold water. When the mushrooms have cooled down, they must be placed in a cloth bag or on a sieve to remove any remaining moisture. You cannot squeeze mushrooms: with this method, along with water, useful substances irrevocably leave the product.
3) Scalding (or blanching). First, the mushrooms are thoroughly washed, and then they are placed on a sieve or in a colander and poured over with very hot water. After that, it is briefly dipped in boiling water (you can hold it over a saucepan of boiling water). Blanching is the fastest heat treatment method. After it, the mushrooms do not break, which is very important if you are going to salt or pickle them. As a rule, mushrooms or russules with a flat or just a large cap are scalded.
Summary
Not all mushrooms (even edible ones!) Are good for food. For example, old or overgrown specimens are soft, flabby and have an extremely unappetizing aroma. It is better not to risk your health and throw out such mushrooms without regret. But the problem is that even young mushrooms quickly deteriorate if they are not processed immediately after returning from the forest. If this is not possible, then the processing can be postponed the next day, but not later. At the same time, it is advisable to clear the mushrooms from debris, but in no case cut or wash. It is best to keep the gifts of the forest in a wide basket or other flat dish. Mushrooms need coolness and good ventilation. Therefore, a basement, corridor, shed or subfloor is the optimal storage space. In urban conditions, a refrigerator is also suitable. Just do not forget to set the temperature regime + 2 ° - + 6 °.If you plan to boil the mushrooms, you can pour cold water over them during storage.
What if the next day it was not possible to process the mushrooms? There is a proven way to extend their "life". The product must be rinsed with cold water, allowed to drain (a colander or sieve is suitable for this purpose), poured over with boiling water, and then put in neat rows in a bowl and sprinkle with table salt. The container must be made of glass or enamel, and you need to put it on ice. In this form, the mushrooms will retain their freshness for another week.