Dried mushrooms

Dried mushrooms are a rather capricious and whimsical product, since not every type of fresh mushroom is suitable for drying for the winter. Moreover, before harvesting, suitable mushrooms need careful sorting: all spoiled, worm, lethargic and fragmented are screened out. Sometimes it turns out that the onions full of various fungi that you brought from the forest will be unsuitable or dried mushrooms will simply not work as a result.

Dried quality mushrooms differ in appearance: they are smooth, light, dry to the touch, bend a little. In addition, such a product should not contain traces of mold, as well as other related substances. Worm, tinder or burnt dried mushrooms are absolutely not suitable for further preparation - unfortunately, you will have to part with them. A putrid, rotten smell is not allowed, as well as a bitter or any taste not yet typical of this product.

The calorie content of dried mushrooms is much higher than those that you use as a raw material for drying, and is approximately 286 kcal per hundred grams of product. But, again, the nutritional value directly depends on the variety or variety of fresh mushrooms, since each of them has absolutely different.

Returning to a much higher calorie content of dried mushrooms, it is worth noting that it is due to the process of manufacturing this product: gradually, under the influence of time and temperature, almost all water evaporates from fresh mushrooms, the content of which, by the way, reaches 90 percent for this product.

Dried mushrooms have increased hygroscopicity, and therefore they should be stored in clean, dry and well-ventilated rooms. With a sharp variation in temperature, they can soak up and cover themselves with mold. You cannot store mushrooms dried on the ground, as well as directly along with fresh vegetables, berries, fruits, nuts, salted and sauerkraut products. In general, their shelf life can reach one year, but if you put them in the freezer, then such mushrooms may not deteriorate even longer.

Dried mushrooms are used as well as fresh ones, only before cooking they need to be soaked for 20 minutes in warm water to swell. It is believed that for every 200-300 grams of fresh mushrooms that are needed according to the recipe, 30 grams of dried mushrooms are used. To taste, dried mushrooms are absolutely not inferior to their fresh counterparts, and sometimes even surpass them (thanks to a richer aroma).

Especially delicious are dried mushrooms in dishes with game, soups and sauces, where they can be used not only whole, but also in the form of a powder. They combine perfectly with cream, olive and butter, delicate cheeses, onions and garlic. Of the meat products, dried pork, chicken, beef, partridge, rabbit and pheasant are ideal for mushrooms. Parsley, thyme, basil, coriander and nutmeg can be added to dishes with this product as seasoning.