I know someone here will know the answer to my question. A couple days ago I got an awesome buy on a bag full of button mushrooms at the store. They were about to "expire" so they were really marked down. Problem is I can't use them all fast enough. I was wondering if I can slice & freeze them? That way they'd be ready to use for cooking & saute' (sp?). Do I need to do anything special with them, or just pop in a freezer bag? Thanks in advance!

-- ellie (eagle-quest@juno.com), November 26, 2001

Answers

you can string them and let them dry,,freezing them when turn them slimy after they thaw,, as long as you use them before they thaw,, np,, but I prefer them dried

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), November 26, 2001.

Stan, How exactly do you dry them? Do you dry them in the oven? Please give details, as I too, have received alot of mushrooms that will soon go bad. Thanks for the help! Lisa B.

-- Lisa B. (j5diecast@aol.com), November 26, 2001.

They will also slowly dehydrate in your refrigerator, if you put them in brown paper bags (not plastic) so they can breathe. You can also string them up and let them dry in a warm area, like your kitchen or 'way above your woodstove if it is on all day.

One more option is to slice and cook in a little butter or oil, let cool and then freeze them in portions to add to spaghetti sauce or whatever.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), November 26, 2001.

Saute them first, then freeze.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), November 26, 2001.

Another opinion. Cut up into slices. Freeze on a cookie sheet. After about eight hours, bring out, separate from the sheet surface, break apart as necesary and freeze again. Then put into a freezer bag. Use as much as you need for soups, pizzas, etc.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), November 26, 2001.

I do likewise as Ken suggests, with the cookie sheet, only with morels, have never done it with button mushrooms. I just cut the morels in half. Make sure the mushrooms are real dry before doing this, or a heavy frost will accumulate in the bags later on.

-- bruce (rural@inebraska.com), November 26, 2001.

I froze and dried mushrooms this summer when I was given a lot of them. To dry them, just slice them thinly, and if you don't have a dehydrator, lay them out on cake cooling racks on top of cookie sheets and put them in your oven on the lowest setting, with the door open for a few hours, or with the pilot light only over night. I sliced, steam blanched (in a strainer over boiling water) for a few minutes, then froze them in pint bags. If you are using them in sauces or saute', they work fine when you thaw them out. Jan

-- Jan in CO (Janice12@aol.com), November 26, 2001.

Once you have dried them, do you have to store them in the freezer? Will they keep in a jar? Thanks! Lisa B.

-- Lisa B. (j5diecast@aol.com), November 27, 2001.

I keep my dried mushrooms in jars and in baggies. Once they are dried, you don't need to freeze them. Store them in a cool dry place. I find that dried mushrooms keep their texture better than the frozen ones. Frozen mushrooms work great for soups and stews, but the dried ones work better for stuffing or dipping in batter to fry. Just my opinion! Good Luck!

-- cowgirlone (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), November 27, 2001.

"sew" them on a string with a needle to dry. then keep in baggies or jars. Reconstitute with water. just like fresh!

-- Elizabeth Quintana (rockshelter@webtv.com), November 30, 2001.

I do about two bushels a year. I slice them up, blanch them in hot water and pack them in freezer ziploc bags. Use the same water you blanch them in to top off the bags. Make sure there is no air in the bags and freeze.

-- Mike Sexton (mteepee_99@yahoo.com), December 02, 2001.