Do you love chanterelles? They are one of the most delicious types of mushrooms that can be used in many recipes. If you just bought fresh mushrooms and are wondering how to store chanterelles, you've come to the right place. We'll show you how chanterelles stay fresh for a long time!
Do you also like to walk or hike? Then you have certainly stumbled across chanterelles (in Austria: Eierschwammerl).
Around the middle to end of August, they begin to sprout from the ground in large quantities. Between moss and under leaves, the golden-yellow mushrooms feel particularly comfortable.
But also at farmers markets and supermarkets, the delicious edible mushroom can not be missed. You just have to love the peppery mushrooms!
The preparation is more than simple. If it has to go very quickly, you fry them briefly and give a scrambled egg over it. The mushroom dish is ready. With the yellow mushrooms you can refine many sauces, soups and dishes.
If you ever have them at home, you may wonder how to store chanterelles so that they stay fresh for a long time and retain their flavor. Especially if you have absolutely no time and desire to prepare them directly.
Today we tell you what really matters and how to store chanterelles properly.
Table of contents
When is the best time to store chanterelles?
Fresh chanterelles should be bright in color, firm to the touch, and neither mushy nor too dry. The lamellae on the body of the mushroom should not be broken. Avoid specimens that have dark or rotten spots, are too moist, or look very dry.
Before you can store chanterelles you have collected yourself or bought at the market in the refrigerator, you must first clean them.
Chanterelles can be quite dirty, especially around the ledges like to collect soil and sand. If you clean chanterelles after they've been in the fridge, you'll have a harder time.
This is because fungi absorb moisture from their environment (in this case, from the refrigerator). The dirt then sticks to them even more stubbornly.
So, in short, if you clean them immediately, you will save a lot of time and effort.
If the mushrooms are neither too mushy nor too dry, you can store chanterelles and prepare them later. Provided that you pay attention to the optimal storage conditions, which we now tell you.
is it allowed to heat up mushroom dishes?
How to store chanterelles?
How you store chanterelles depends on when you bought your chanterelles and what condition they are in. Dry mushrooms have a different storage date than those that have soaked with water in the forest.
If you picked them yourself and they are cleaned (but unwashed), you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days under optimal conditions.
Purchased mushrooms, however, contain a lower water content by nature and therefore usually have a longer shelf life. However, they are often already so dry that they have already lost a lot of flavor. Therefore, you should prepare purchased chanterelles today or at the latest the next day.
If an expiration date is indicated on the packaging, roughly orient yourself to it. However, they are often still edible a few days after the best-before date without any problems.
Store chanterelles in the refrigerator
Chanterelles need good air circulation to stay fresh. Therefore, store them in a paper bag or an open bowl covered with a slightly damp kitchen towel.
Keep them in the refrigerator and periodically make sure they don't get too wet.
Absolutely unsuitable are plastic bags or storage boxes with an air-impermeable lid.
In it, the mushrooms begin to sweat, which makes them go bad. This is because the yellow mushrooms consist of a high proportion of protein, which is difficult to store.
Cleaned chanterelles will last the longest if you put them in the crisper and make sure they are not too close together. If you have a 0 degree Celsius compartment in the refrigerator, they will stay fresh for a long time.
Store chanterelles with high water content
If you buy fresh mushrooms collected after the rain, their water content is quite high. They soak up like a sponge, but this also makes them spoil faster. Before you can store the chanterelles, you need to reduce some moisture. This is how you do it:
- Clean the mushrooms
- Cut large mushrooms small
- Put the mushrooms in a pan and turn it on to medium heat
- Fry them for about 5 to 10 minutes. Now the mushrooms give off moisture, but the aroma is preserved
- Take the pan off the heat and let the chanterelles cool down
- Put them in a sealable container and place them in the refrigerator or put them in the freezer
Now you can keep these chanterelles in the refrigerator for 4 days. If you know in advance that you will not manage to use up the mushrooms, then freeze them.
Chanterelle freeze
However, you should not freeze the mushrooms raw, but blanch or sauté them briefly. Dry mushrooms are boiled in a pot of salted water for about 5 minutes.
Fry very fresh and watery mushrooms as described above. After cooling, place them in a storage box with a lid and then in the freezer. Frozen mushrooms can be kept here for up to 6 months.
Dry chanterelles
If you want to keep the aroma of the mushrooms longer, you can dry chanterelles. This works either in the sun, in the oven or in the dehydrator. An exact Instructions for drying mushrooms you can read here.
Dried, they do very well in sauces, soups and casseroles. You can process them into powder with a food processor and use them as a seasoning for all spicy dishes.
When should you stop eating chanterelles?
Over time, chanterelles with high water content become soggy, slimy and moldy. It is better not to eat mushrooms that are slimy or moist. If they have black spots or white traces of mold, they are also no longer suitable for consumption.
Also do an odor test. If the mushroom smells strong, then it should go into the organic waste garbage can.
If the mushrooms are very dry, this is not a problem at all. They can hardly spoil. Just before eating, put them in a little water for about an hour to make them fresher again.
You shouldn't throw the water away, you can use it for cooking - it's packed with flavor.
When and where can I find chanterelles?
Depending on where you live, you can find chanterelles at different times of the year. You can buy them between late spring and late fall, usually at the market, greengrocer or supermarket.
In some cases, you can also find them in smaller delis that offer select, high-quality products.
If you know your way around, you can also go mushroom hunting yourself. In our latitudes, they begin to grow in coniferous and mixed forests from July. The peak of their population usually reaches the beginning of September.
Important: If you are unsure or do not know enough about mushrooms, please do not collect them. There is a poisonous double for pretty much every mushroom! In some places mushroom picking courses are offered or you have a friend who knows well and helps you.
When buying look for fresh mushrooms!
Chanterelles available on the market usually come from Eastern European countries such as Belarus or Moldova.
In Germany, it is not allowed to collect wild mushrooms for trade - you can only collect them for your own use. There is an exception for farmers' markets and weekly markets.
If you plan to buy mushrooms, follow these tips to check their freshness:
- Do not buy chanterelles packed in foil or plastic trays
- Choose loose mushrooms
- Fresh chanterelles are golden yellow and crunchy
- They look plump and juicy
- Do a smell test: Fresh mushrooms smell of forest
- Look out for dark and muddy spots - mold has no place on fresh mushrooms either
- The fresher the mushrooms, the better their flavor!
If you have bought a package in the supermarket in which some mushrooms are moldy, you can dispose of the entire package. This is because spoiled mushrooms can lead to food poisoning - i.e. diarrhea, vomiting and fever.
Our conclusion
If you want to keep chanterelles fresh for a long time, you can store them in the freezer or dry them. When storing mushrooms, watch out for mold and strong odors.
You can get fresh chanterelles at farmers markets, farmer's markets, or some delis. Follow these tips if you want to preserve chanterelles. However, they taste best when prepared fresh.
Enjoy it!
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