Drying mushrooms?

[daveO]

Not wild ones, not with this snow, but I foraged a huge bag of cup mushrooms from the reduced section of Morrison's earlier. As much it was a total bargain I now have a bit of buyer's remorse at facing a weeks worth of mushrooms with every meal. I have a dehydrator and a love of mushroom risotto though so if I can get them dried and stored i might save myself a week of scowls at the dinner table.

Anyone have any tips? I take it they have to be dried in the size that you want to eat them at rather than whole, or do they rehydrate to a smaller size? I've got the cheapo Lazer dehydrator from Westfalia so no fancy settings if it needs less heat or whatever. and no I didn't keep the instructions

My other option is make a huge batch of steak and ale (with extra mushroom) casserole. That would be more of a spend money to save money situation though.

 

[Nice65]

Why not try a some in the dehumidifier and also create a dish that can freeze? Steak and ale casserole makes a great pie or potato pastie too.

But I suffer the spend money to save money situation myself. I'd end up buying dried porcini for extra flavour

 

[Toddy]

They dry really easily in that cheap dehydrator (I have it's equivalent). Just slice them up and layer them out. I turn them every so often, but I'm usually pottering around while they're on.
They shrink in depth but not terribly much otherwise I find.
If you whizz up the dried ones in a coffee grinder type mill the powder rehydrates almost instantly in hot water to make a really good base for soup or gravy.

There's something else you can do with them though; make mushroom ketchup
It uses up a lot of mushrooms, and it can be as spicy or simple as you choose.

(You don't need to add any portobello ones, just use whatever's on special in the supermarket)
http://www.leparfait.com/recipe/mushroom-ketchup_502

Lastly, if you're vegetarian or having a meatless Monday, just grate the mushroom up with a coarse grater. It makes mushroom mince for everything from chilli to spaghetti bolognese.

Good food are mushrooms. Fry them up with loads of grated black pepper and it's a really good side dish too.

M

 

[Janne]

Once dry, dtote in a cloth bag somewhere airy and dry. Dried funghi take up a lot of space in the freezer ( another good storage place) so mine hang.

You can freeze sauteed funhi, a good base for later use.

 

[Chomp]

I destalk and slice the mushrooms, sprinkle a bit of water on them and give them 30-40 seconds in the microwave to blanch them then put them down on the dehydrator shelves. I find they stick to the plastic so cut baking parchment cut to size. With the stalks I do the same but keep them separate and blitz them in a coffee grinder as above. Apparently the stalks don't do as well as they're more 'woody' which is why I do them differently but I can't vouch for that as I've never tried them.

 

[Monikieman]

I read somewhere that a dehydrator was not good as it was too high a temp. So, I used my dehydrator of my Birch Boletes last year and they are SUPERB.

Just slice and dry on lowest heat setting in dehydrator. Remember when they come out and cool they'll get crispier.

 

[Toddy]

Janne, I can't store anything dried in cloth bags. They just soak in moisture here.
Sealed jars work fine.

My dehydrator has no heat control, it's the most basic model. I just shift the bottom tray up to the top every half hour or so and keep them moving that way.

M

 

[Chomp]

I didn't mention temp but I can vary my dehydrator between 35 and 70 (I think) and usually have it at 40 or 45 for most things, usually start at 40 and if its taking a while turn it up to 45. Keep my dehydrated stuff in Kilner jars or sealed plastic boxes.

 

[Toddy]

Your's is more complex than mine then. Mine really is pretty basic, but it's been worth every penny. I've done an awful lot of dried fruits and veggies in mine, and my bother used the same kind to make a heck of a lot of jerky too.
Mushrooms dry well, and they store well sealed.
Powdered they make a really good stock.

M

 

[Chomp]

Your's is more complex than mine then. Mine really is pretty basic, but it's been worth every penny. I've done an awful lot of dried fruits and veggies in mine, and my bother used the same kind to make a heck of a lot of jerky too.
Mushrooms dry well, and they store well sealed.
Powdered they make a really good stock.

M

I think it was about 50 quid, the missus got me a few years back for xmas. I've done loads in it including jerky (its probably drier than jerky to be honest) and meals to take away up the hills, Quorn mostly as it keeps better. I've found it more fun than I thought I would for some strange reason.

 

[daveO]

Bit of a busy day today so I've only managed to get them drying just now. I decided to do about a quarter of the bag as a trial but that still filled 3 trays. I think I'll do a beef casserole as well if I can get to the farm shop to get some braising beef tomorrow. I need to stop browsing the reduced section. I bought 8 avocados today just because they were cheap

 

[baggins]

the longer and slower you dry the mushrooms, the better they come out. After plenty of experimentation, a low a yea as you can get, sliced and left for a good 12-18 hrs.
If you can't change the settings of your dehydrator, just keep rotating them and avoid using the lowest layer.
I have a gresat rig set up in the tipi, a large, collapsable net herb drier, suspended from the roof and hung over the wood burner. Managed to dry a good load last autumn up in Scotland and, kept in jars i'm still using them.

 

[Janne]

Mum tought me to slice them in approx 2mm slices, distribute in one slice layers on newspaper and dry in a dry room until completely dry.
If the air indoors is humid, like it tends to be in Autumn, dry in the oven with the oven door ajar in about 50C or do.

 

[Chomp]

Bit of a busy day today so I've only managed to get them drying just now. I decided to do about a quarter of the bag as a trial but that still filled 3 trays. I think I'll do a beef casserole as well if I can get to the farm shop to get some braising beef tomorrow. I need to stop browsing the reduced section. I bought 8 avocados today just because they were cheap

I've done that in the past, bought stuff because it was cheap and added it to the stockpile 'just cos'. Some of it hasn't had time to make the dehydrator because it had started to turn.

 

[Fraxinus]

Still got some Parasol mushrooms in the cupboard dated 23/10/16 that were dehydrated then vac packed. We used some the other week in a steak and kidney pudding.
Either use vac pac bags for long term storage or get a vacuum jar sealer (an accessory for some units) and store in jars.
I cut mushrooms into approx' 6mm (1/4") thick slices but give it more time than the instruction manual suggests with the Andrew James unit I have.
Next time I buy a Dehydrator it will be one of the better square or oblong shaped ones with better accessories.
Rob.

 

[Janne]

Aaahhh....
Parasol mushrooms are my favourite, prepared and cooked like a schnitzel.

The foot is very woodey, but excellent dried and pulverized.

 

[daveO]

Well this seems to have worked rather well. I was a bit worried that the machine was too hot so I turned it off and let it cool every couple of hours but they were all done after about 6 hours. I had a couple of pieces that I cut too thick which weren't quite dry enough so rather than keep running the machine I ate them. They were really good Now it's got me thinking about the possibility of making mushroom jerky.

 

[Toddy]

See if you buy the huge big ones ? the ones for stuffing and baking ? They'll slice up big and thin, across the way until you get to the gills, and you can roll them out with a rolling pin and then dry those in sheets. You need to lay them out on baking parchment or silicon sheets though, because they'll stick to the racks as though they're glued on.
It sort of works like a gluten free vegan lasagne....different texture, a bit like the beancurd sheet stuff. Tasty though
They're also good for packing as a munchie like jerky.
If you pre-salt them and dry them off, like doing aubergine, it'll draw out a lot of liquid before hand. That liquid makes really good mushroom sauce, so don't throw it away. It also adds to the taste of the jerky.
Black pepper's a good addition, if you like the stuff.

M

 

[Janne]

So many different ways to eat funghi !
In:
Soups
Casseroles
Butter fried on toast ( chantarelles are best here)
Sauces
Done like schnitzel
Marinated in oil and herbs
Marinated or pickled in a sweet and sour liquid ( like cirnichons and red beetroot)
Powdered dry mushroom is excellent mixed with salt and pepper to season food

 

[daveO]

Well the cupboard was bare tonight so Mrs daveO rehydrated the mushrooms and cooked some pasta while I got some leeks and ramson leaves from the garden to chuck in with them. A truly excellent meal