Dried honey mushrooms are widely used in cooking. Of these, you can quickly make: soup, stew, sauce, pizza, or just fry in a pan with potatoes or meat. At any time, you may want to diversify your daily diet, and the season of fresh mushrooms has passed. In this case, the blanks come to the rescue. If you soak dried fruits in warm water, they will be able to return to their original shape.

Preparation of honey mushrooms for drying

The harvest must be sorted out, leaving the freshest, strongest and most healthy mushrooms. If wormholes and severe damage are observed on the surface, they will not work. It is imperative to carefully review the product purchased at the market or in the store so that there are no false mushrooms or a galerine bordered there. Inedible mushrooms are characterized by an unpleasant odor reminiscent of rot, and the hat - a bright color and absolute smoothness.

In addition, the plate is false yellow in fake ones, and in real it is cream. Galerine bordered is very similar to an edible fruit, their main distinguishing feature is the scales on the leg - in the first they are completely absent. Experienced mushroom pickers also recommend paying attention to the color of the hat - in poisonous ones it is uniform, with prevailing ocher.

Before drying, honey mushrooms should not be washed - water slows down the process and contributes to darkening. Harvested fruits are cleaned of dirt with a damp cloth or cloth. Often, only mushroom caps are taken for drying, because the legs have a denser texture, which requires more time to cook. However, you can use the whole. There is no need to remove the connecting film - it does not affect the taste in any way.

Did you know? Chaff is characterized by rapid growth — in a minute it can grow by 5 mm. For comparison, bamboo grows at the same rate.

Methods for drying mushrooms

Honey mushrooms can be dried, resorting to different methods at home. The choice of method depends on the skills of the hostess and the available devices. However, all of them are not complicated. Below we will take a closer look at the six most popular methods.

In the oven

It is most convenient to use a special grid for drying, in case of its absence, you can take a baking sheet. In this case, it is necessary to periodically turn the mushrooms.

Important! For normal air circulation, it is advisable to leave the oven door slightly ajar.

Cooking takes place in the following sequence:

1. Preheat the oven to +40 ... + 50 ° С.
2. Place the prepared mushrooms on a wire rack and put in the oven for 2-3 hours. Mushrooms will fade and gradually lose moisture.
3. When the stickiness is gone, it is necessary to increase the temperature to + 75 ° C.
4. So that the hats are not fried, it is recommended to monitor the cooking process and sometimes turn the fruit over.

The initial temperature is the best option, because at a lower honey agarics are welded, and if it is higher, they are baked.

The whole process takes 7-12 hours, depending on the skills of the hostess and the number of mushrooms. Properly dried mushroom bends a little, easily breaks and retains a natural smell.

In the electric dryer

The method is considered the most modern and simple. It takes place in only three stages:

1. Put peeled mushrooms in even layers on wire racks.
2. Set the temperature mode of the electric dryer to + 55 ° С.
3. After the time has passed, turn off the dryer and put the mushrooms in storage.

In the microwave

Due to the fact that the microwave oven itself is not designed for special capacity, this method is not practical for a large number of crops. In addition to sorting and cleaning honey mushrooms, it is necessary to dry them in advance in the sun or under a powerful lamp.

Did you know? A honey agaric, like a person, can sunbathe. This occurs when exposed to direct sunlight.

Procedure:

1. Arrange the mushroom slices evenly in one layer on a pallet, place it in the microwave.
2. Set the furnace power to 100–180 W, set the time to 20 minutes.
3. As soon as the timer has worked and the stove has stopped, you need to carefully remove the plate and drain the resulting liquid, while leaving the door open for 2–4 minutes for ventilation.
4. Repeat the 20-minute cycle several times until the product has acquired the desired condition.

The readiness criteria are relative elasticity and the ability to flex not immediately break, but with little effort.

On a tray

Despite the fact that the method is quite old, it is still popular. The bottom of the metal tray is covered with parchment paper so that the hats do not heal. The mushrooms themselves are laid out evenly around the entire perimeter of the tray, and then sent to the sun. It is recommended to check the mushrooms and turn them over by hand from time to time. Drying is carried out until completely dry.

On a thread

You can dry mushrooms for the winter on twine or a very strong thread - fishing line can serve as such material.

Important! The distance between the mushrooms must be ensured for acceptable air circulation and uniform drying.

The process is based on simple manipulations:

1. Cut the required length of thread.
2. Pre-prepared mushrooms string on a segment, leave a distance of 0.5-1 cm between them.
3. The resulting strands of honey should be pulled in a place well lit by the sun, for example, on the balcony of a loggia or outside a window.
4. Cover with gauze so that dust or insects do not accumulate.

After 7-10 days, the fruits are sent for further storage.

By fan

Mistresses consider this to be one of the best drying methods. Mushrooms are cut and laid out on a wire rack with a “woodpile”. A fan is used for quick drying - in 2 hours at the first speed, the mushrooms cease to rot, and after 6 hours they reach readiness - they become resilient and do not tend to break.

Features of storage of dried mushrooms

So that the mushrooms retain their properties and do not absorb extraneous odors, you can take into service such storage methods:

• if the fruits are strung on a rope, wrap them with a breathable cloth, or put them in a paper bag or linen bag;
• for a large number of honey mushrooms take boxes lined with paper;
• in glass jars with tightly closed lids;
• vacuum food containers;
• Banking.

Some housewives store the workpiece in the refrigerator, where she is not afraid of pests. So that it does not become moldy, you must take a sealed container or a tightly closed jar. Check your stocks periodically for bugs or food moths. If any of this still appears in the product, immediately rinse the mushrooms and warm in the oven at a temperature of +60 ... + 70 ° C.

Winter home storage can be stored for at least 1 year. Experienced hostesses say that mushrooms can be in a dark place for an unlimited amount of time - as long as they retain their appearance, shape and aroma. In practice, the maximum shelf life is 3 years. To know the exact date of drying, you can stick a sticker on each jar or container.

Following the rules of drying and storage, you can enjoy incredibly tasty honey mushrooms in winter, in which the maximum number of useful properties is preserved. During heat treatment, their amount decreases by about 10 times, and the concentration of protein, vitamins and trace elements increases in the same proportion. Another advantage is that dried fruits take up very little space.