Did you go for a walk to harvest mushrooms, and you do not know what to do with so many? Learn how to dry or dehydrate mushrooms at home easily.
Looking for mushrooms during the season is probably one of the funniest things to do during autumn. You connect with nature and you have the chance to collect fresh mushrooms to enjoy cooking.
But sometimes, you go a little bit too far and arrive home with three baskets of mushrooms. And now, what? Before they go off, choose those you want to eat fresh and use the following drying or dehydration techniques with the rest. A way to maintain and use them in future recipes without worrying about wasting food.
Before beginning, clean the mushrooms to get rid of any rest of the dirt and decide how you want to dry them: whole or cut into pieces.
There are several ways to dry them at home
Dry the mushrooms at room temperature
Place them on grids and turn them from time to time. Or string them with twine, like a necklace. This will take two or three days. Use a fan to improve the air circulation and dry them faster, or even put them on a grid over a radiator.
In the oven at low temperature
Just place the mushrooms on the grid, heat above, below, and turn on the fan. Choose a low temperature, 50 °-60 °C. With the help of a cloth, you can leave the oven door half-open to help to remove moisture.
Dehydrate under the sun
This technique is about placing the mushrooms under the sun until they look like a raisin. Remember to pick them at night or they may hydrate with the night moist. This process can take several weeks. The problem is all the bugs can eat your mushrooms, that is why a solar dehydrator may be a good idea too. These dehydrators protect the mushrooms like a greenhouse.
How to store dehydrated mushrooms
You can use hermetic food containers or glass jars. Keep them in a fresh place, away from sunlight.
Hydrate the mushrooms before using them
Before cooking the mushrooms again, you need to hydrate them. Do it by using hot water, cold water, milk… The liquid left has part of the mushroom flavour, so keep it to use in your recipe.
Steam hydrates mushrooms too and, with some recipes, you can even moist the mushrooms by placing them right inside the stew.