Collecting chanterelles in the forest is not even half the battle. They need to be recycled for long term storage. Drying of mushrooms is very popular due to the fact that it does not require much time and effort, the finished product is noticeably reduced in volume, and does not require special storage conditions.
How to prepare mushrooms
Compared to other mushrooms, preparing chanterelles for drying is extremely simple. In principle, they are not wormy. Therefore, they are limited to dry cleaning, scraping off soil particles, moss, needles, and other external contaminants with a knife. If there is a lot of dirt, you can wipe it off with a damp, clean cloth. But washing chanterelles before drying is a very bad idea, they absorb moisture like a sponge.
Chanterelle drying process
As a rule, whole mushrooms are dried. An exception is made for the largest specimens. They are cut into 2-4 pieces along the plates.
Natural way
The process takes 7-12 days, depending on the size of the mushrooms. Chanterelles are simply strung on a thick thread and hung or laid out on a clean cloth, paper in one layer in a suitable place - dry, warm and well-ventilated. Newspaper will not work as a "backing" (ink contains lead). Several times a day, the chanterelles are turned over so that they dry faster and more evenly.
You can dry them outdoors, but be sure to protect them from direct sunlight and insects. The chanterelles themselves are covered with gauze, a cloth; a suitable place for drying is under a canopy, on the veranda.
In the oven
How to dry chanterelles in the oven:
- Heat it up to 50 ° C.
- Place a baking sheet covered with baking paper with chanterelles laid out on it in one layer so that they do not touch each other.
- Dry the mushrooms for 1, 5-2 hours in the oven with the door ajar 4-5 cm.
- Remove the baking sheet, gently stir the chanterelles, place it back in the oven for another 40-50 minutes, increasing the temperature to 60-65 ° C.
- Remove the baking sheet again and stir the mushrooms, bring them to readiness.
The exact drying time for chanterelles is difficult to determine. It depends on their number, size, age, weather conditions at the time of collection. Ready-made mushrooms retain their color, bend easily, but do not crumble and break only if you make an effort.
In the microwave
The method is suitable if there are not too many chanterelles:
- Arrange the mushrooms on a suitable platter.
- Place it in the microwave for a maximum of 15-20 minutes, setting the power to no more than 180 W.
- After the specified time has elapsed, remove the dish, drain the evaporated water.
- Let the microwave air out (5-7 minutes).
- Repeat drying as many times as necessary until water no longer forms.
During the microwave drying process, when the chanterelles are almost ready, you need to be careful not to burn them.
In a special dryer
Many electric dryers have a special mode for mushrooms. In this case, the answer to the question of how to dry the chanterelles is extremely simple - just turn it on. Otherwise, the chanterelles are kept in the dryer for about 3 hours at a temperature of 50 ° C. Then they are given 1, 5-2 hours to cool down, and brought to readiness, increasing the indicator to 60 ° C. It is possible to determine that the chanterelles are dry by weight - it decreases 9-10 times compared to the original.
Chanterelles tolerate the drying process well, useful properties are not lost in the process. Store ready-made mushrooms in linen or paper bags, in a cool dry room. There should not be any products with pungent odors nearby - chanterelles easily absorb them.
