A detailed article on how to properly dry mushrooms.
One of the best ways to preserve the taste and nutritional qualities of mushrooms for a long time is to dry them, which is usually done with tubular mushrooms. For some mushrooms, the caps and parts of the stems are dried, while for others, only the caps are dried. It is best to dry porcini mushrooms. But now, in addition to porcini mushrooms, boletuses, boletus mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, goat mushrooms and moss mushrooms are also dried. Lamellar fruits are usually not dried, since many of them contain bitter milky juice and retain their bitterness when dry. In addition, dry lamellar mushrooms are difficult and even impossible to distinguish from each other, and most importantly, from poisonous ones. That is why sanitary inspection authorities prohibit the sale of such mushrooms in stores and collective farm markets. However, at home, the population dries honey mushrooms and chanterelles for their own needs and to prepare for future use. Morels and strings are also dried, but the oven cannot be used for this, as they easily burn. Morels and strings can be eaten only after two months of storage.
Do not dry old mushrooms: they may contain toxins.
It is very important to determine the end of drying of mushrooms. Under-dried mushrooms can quickly become moldy; over-dried mushrooms break easily, are too hard, do not soak in water or even boil, and are tasteless. Well-dried mushrooms bend slightly, break relatively easily, but do not crumble. People say: “Dry mushrooms for future use, but don’t overdry them.”
Dried mushrooms are very hygroscopic; they absorb moisture from the surrounding air, easily become damp and moldy. In addition, they quickly absorb foreign odors. That's why they should be stored in dry, well-ventilated areas at a temperature of 10-15 ° C and best of all in canvas bags or food bags made of thick paper.
It is often recommended to store them in tightly closed glass or metal jars, but in these cases, “living creatures” sometimes appear in the mushrooms. Before cooking, it’s good to soak dried mushrooms in salted milk for several hours - they will become like fresh. Dried chanterelles boil better if you add a little baking soda to the water.
Depending on the type, size and commercial qualities, dried mushrooms are divided into 3 main varieties:
1) white cut (preserving aroma and nutritional quality);
2) stems of porcini mushrooms;
3) a mixture of mushrooms (boletus, boletus, moss mushroom, goat mushroom), which is traded under the name “Dried black mushrooms.”
Preparing mushrooms for drying
Only strong, undamaged mushrooms are suitable for drying. They are thoroughly cleaned of needles, leaves, soil and various debris, and wiped with a dry cloth. They should not be washed or wetted - this complicates drying and reduces the quality of the product (when dried, the mushrooms darken and lose their aroma).
Cleaned mushrooms are disassembled and sorted by size and quality. Then, for aspen mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, goat mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, and moss mushrooms, the stem is cut off flush with the cap, and for porcini mushrooms, only the lower part of the stem is cut off. In this case, it is recommended to use bone or horn knives, since metal ones cause the mushrooms to turn black. White fresh mushrooms cut (together the cap and stem) lengthwise sharp knife into pieces no more than 10-15 mm thick. The slices are laid out in one row on sieves and dried in a room protected from rain, then dried in an oven or dryer.
Sometimes the stems of porcini mushrooms are dried separately from the caps. Having cleared them of debris, they are cut lengthwise into plates with a thickness of 4 to 6 mm.
For large workpieces, the legs are passed through a mushroom cutting machine. They are dried in the same way as hats with stems.
For taste, add about one tenth of the dried porcini mushroom caps, cut into thin slices, to the dried stems for taste. To speed up drying, the caps of large mushrooms classified as “black” are cut in half or into four parts.
Drying methods
There are many ways to dry mushrooms: in dryers, Russian ovens, ovens, in the sun, etc. But not all of them are acceptable. In rural areas, for example, porcini and other mushrooms are often dried in Russian ovens on a bare hearth. As a result, poor quality is obtained from excellent raw materials. quality product. Mushrooms become dirty, covered with ash, dry out unevenly, and become low in flavor and tasteless. In other cases, the mushrooms are strung on a rod (willow, sometimes birch, aspen, juniper or other) and placed edgewise in the oven on the floor to dry. The lower edges of the mushrooms that touch the hearth burn, dry out and become dirty in ash. It is clear that such methods of drying mushrooms should not be used. The yield of dried mushrooms is 10-12% of the weight of fresh ones.
Drying in a Russian oven
In order to prevent the mushrooms from burning and getting dirty when drying in a Russian oven, after heating it, clean the oven from coals and ash with a damp broom. After some time, a thin layer of rye straw is laid on the floor and mushrooms are placed on it, caps down. Iron baking sheets (sheets) can also be used for drying. They are also covered with a layer of straw, on top of which the mushrooms are placed with their caps down so that they do not touch. Without straw bedding, mushrooms burn and acquire an unpleasant aftertaste. Devices are also used for drying mushrooms in an oven. For example, mushrooms are strung through the middle of the cap onto thin tinned or stainless steel wire knitting needles (ramrods) inserted into wooden planks, which are then placed in the oven on edge, in the form of gable roofs.
The mushrooms are dried on the knitting needles without touching the hearth. The temperature in the oven should be maintained between 40 and 60 °C. The heat covers the mushrooms on the knitting needles evenly from all sides.
On the first day, the mushrooms are only dried, on the second (at the same temperature) they are dried. At the same time, they do not burn, do not become dirty, do not dry out, and only slightly lose their odor.
There is another way. Thin wooden knitting needles with a length of 20 to 30 cm are made. Large mushrooms are strung on long knitting needles, small ones on short ones. The lower ends of the knitting needles are stuck into a box of dry sand and placed in the oven.
Small mushrooms dry out faster, large mushrooms dry out more slowly; Accordingly, the former are removed from the oven earlier, the latter - later. At the same time, the mushrooms remain clean and dry evenly.
Oven drying
Thick paper is laid on metal baking sheets, clean twigs or sticks chopped from wood are placed on it in not very dense rows, and mushrooms are placed on top in one layer, caps down.
Drying is carried out at the same temperature as in a Russian oven. The oven door is kept ajar.
Drying over a hot plate
At home, you can dry mushrooms over a hot stove, against a hot Russian wall or dutch oven, strung on threads or twine.
Drying in rotary fruit dryers
Mushrooms are poured onto galvanized nets, which are placed in a drying chamber and rotated on a carousel. First, the mushrooms are dried at a temperature of 37 to 50 °C, then it is raised to 60-80 °C and finally dried. Drying time in special dryers is 4-6 hours.
Sun drying
On hot, cloudless days, mushrooms can be dried in the sun. To do this, pierce the mushrooms with a needle through the middle of the stem and cap, string them (first large, then smaller) 50 or more pieces on strong threads, then hang them on stands in the sun at some distance from each other and leave until completely wilted. For drying in the sun, you can also use specially made stands with metal rods (ramrods), stringing mushrooms on them. After placing the mushrooms in a sunny place, cover them with gauze to protect them from dust and flies. Sufficiently sun-dried mushrooms are stored in a dry room. They do the same when attacking cloudy weather, increasing air humidity. Mushrooms are dried in a Russian oven, oven or over a hot stove. This, as a rule, is necessary in the northwestern and even central regions of our country, since here it is not always possible to dry mushrooms well in the sun. Strings and morels (morel cap) are dried only by air-solar method. When dried in ovens, they burn, and when stored they quickly become moldy, as a result of which they lose their nutritional value. These mushrooms, cleared of forest debris, are wiped with a damp cloth to remove sand and soil. Then they are strung on threads or laid out on sieves and placed under a canopy in a well-ventilated place for drying. After some time, the dried mushrooms are transferred to the sun. Dried strings and morels must be whole, without foreign impurities, not overgrown, well dried, with a moisture content of no more than 14%. The best dried mushrooms are obtained when they are heat treated in two stages. First, the prepared mushrooms are exposed to a relatively low temperature - within 30-50 ° C - for 1-3 hours. At the same time, they wither due to the evaporation of a significant part of the surface moisture. Then drying is continued at a higher temperature - 70-80 ° C, which should not be exceeded, since the quality of the product deteriorates, and the porcini mushrooms also turn black.
Mushrooms are usually dried at a temperature of 50-60 °C, that is, in light heat.
During drying, a constant supply of fresh air to the mushrooms and removal of the moisture released by them must be ensured, for which the pipe and damper of the Russian oven, the door oven kept ajar. The use of various devices (a sieve, a board or a box of sand with vertical knitting needles, etc.) allows not only to avoid contamination, but also to improve the conditions for drying mushrooms, since heated air flows around them on all sides.
By the way
If dry mushrooms crumble during storage, do not throw away the crumbs. Grind them into powder and store in a well-sealed glass jar in a cool, dry place. From this powder you can prepare mushroom sauces and broths.
According to the season, you have the opportunity to collect a large amount, but in fresh This product has a very short shelf life, so it needs to be either or. Today we will discuss the second option, and also talk about the main drying options and what to store dried mushrooms in.
What mushrooms are suitable for drying?
Before understanding all the intricacies of drying, it’s worth first talking about which ones can be dried.
It is the tubular mushrooms that are worth drying, since they, unlike lamellar mushrooms, do not acquire bitterness during the drying process.
The best types for drying:
- boletus;
If you are not afraid of bitterness or know ways to deal with it, then you can dry the cherry blossoms. The list of suitable species does not include very small ones, such as mouse mushrooms. The thing is that during the drying process, raw materials lose up to 90% of their mass. And if the raw material already weighs less than 20-30 g, then there will be practically nothing left of it - it is better to preserve such species.
Preparing mushrooms
Before you start drying, you need to prepare the collected ones.
Let's make a small digression and talk about the required quality of raw materials. The fact is that if you have collected old or rotten mushrooms, then it is best to trim them and immediately use them for cooking, rather than trying to dry them. Only young mushrooms that have good quality and are not damaged in any way. 
Let's return to preparation: immediately after collection, the raw materials must be cleaned of debris and soil, but under no circumstances should they be washed. If moisture gets on the product, then it will dry many times longer, and taste qualities will worsen significantly.
Immediately after cleaning, the mushrooms are sorted, removing rotten ones and trimming damaged ones.
Important! To prevent product cuts from darkening, trimming should be done using a stainless steel knife.
Drying methods
Outdoors
The simplest drying option that does not require the use of any equipment.
It is worth understanding that it should be carried out in the summer or at the end of spring - beginning of autumn, so that the products can be dried in a fairly short time. 
- Before drying, all mushrooms are cut into slices. You can separate the stem to make drying faster.
- The plates are strung on a fishing line so that they do not touch each other, otherwise the raw materials at the points of contact will not dry out well and will not be stored. You can also use wooden trays or paper, but in this case you will need enough big square for laying out raw materials.
- All prepared mushrooms are placed in a place where they will not be exposed to dust or rain. In this case, the place should be well warmed by the sun and well ventilated so that drying occurs faster.
- After laying out or hanging the products, cover everything with a net with small cells to prevent flies from landing.
Did you know? Since the mushroom is considered a cross between animals and plants, we can say that this living organism is the largest creature on earth. This proves it, which was found in Oregon. Its area was 900 hectares.
In the oven
Drying mushrooms in the oven is different in that in this case more depends on you than when drying them in the oven. fresh air, so you should understand that improvisation in this case can ruin a large amount of raw materials.
An oven that has an additional airflow function is best suited for drying, since without it you will have to open the door to have at least some air circulation. If there is no airflow, the drying process will slow down significantly.
- We need to take iron grates, which are usually used for grilling, place mushrooms on them in one layer and put them in the oven.
- Set the temperature to around 60-70° C and, if necessary, open the oven door slightly.
- Every 15-20 minutes, the racks need to be swapped so that all the mushrooms dry equally well.
You need to dry until they shrink several times. At the same time, they should not feel oily to the touch, but rather dry.
Important! Do not raise the temperature, otherwise you will bake the mushrooms rather than dry them.
In an electric dryer
Perhaps you will get the highest quality product if you dry it in. Of course, technology will not replace all the delights of natural drying, but you certainly cannot spoil the product.
- The raw materials are cleaned and cut into thin slices. Choose the thickness yourself, but take into account the fact that if the product is small, then it makes no sense to cut it into slices that are too thin.
- Everything is laid out in one layer on each tier of the dryer, and the temperature is set to 55° C.
- We wait from 2 to 6 hours until our mushrooms are completely dry.
As a rule, absolutely all mushrooms can be dried in this way - both tubular () and lamellar, especially in such home conditions that do not make it possible to dry the products on outdoors.
In the microwave
Let's also consider the option of how to dry mushrooms in the microwave.
This cannot be said to be the optimal technique for drying, but in the absence of other options, it can also be used for our purposes.
- We clean and cut the raw materials.
- Take a plate or baking tray that is suitable for microwave oven. Ideally, of course, you need to use a wire rack, but in the absence of one, you can use any non-metal utensils.
- We lay everything out in a thin layer, set it to 100-180 W, and “dry” for about 20 minutes.
- After the specified time has passed, the microwave must be opened for 15 minutes so that all the moisture comes out. Then close and repeat again.
- The optimal number of repetitions is 2-3 times, but if the mushrooms are cut into thick slices, then you can increase it up to 4-5 times.
How to determine readiness
Readiness is very difficult to determine, so in this case, only practice and experience are important.
Drying mushrooms is The best way preserving all the best that mushrooms give us. If you want to enjoy this wonderful product all year round, then drying is ideal for this purpose.
Mushrooms are a valuable source of protein, iodine, iron, potassium, phosphorus, zinc and vitamins D, C, PP.
It is important to note that only tubular mushrooms and some lamellar mushrooms can be dried (russula and dung beetles, for example, are not suitable for drying). Mushrooms with milky juice are not dried, as they have a very sharp and bitter taste.
For drying, they usually take champignons, boletus mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, autumn honey mushrooms, aspen mushrooms, moss mushrooms, boletus mushrooms and chanterelle mushrooms.
Mushrooms for drying are collected in sunny, dry weather.
Before drying, you need to clean the mushrooms from debris and soil. It is not recommended to wash them: most of the valuable substances and aroma will be lost with water, the mushrooms will darken and may become soggy. You can wash already dried mushrooms.
Large mushrooms should be cut into quarters or in half. Large stems are cut into 1 cm strips. For small and medium-sized mushrooms, the cap should be separated from the stems and dried entirely. There is no need to cut and separate very small mushrooms - they are dried whole. You can also cut all the mushrooms into strips (if there are a lot of mushrooms and you don’t want to bother with them for a long time) - in this case the process will proceed much faster. It is better to cut the mushrooms lengthwise.
You can also separate the mushrooms by type or size to make drying easier.
For drying mushrooms in the oven you need to prepare a baking sheet. Place the already peeled and cut mushrooms on a baking sheet, lightly greasing it with oil. You also put baking paper on the baking sheet, then you won’t need oil. You can place the mushrooms not on a baking sheet, but on a wire rack. In this case, you will need baking paper to place on the grill and arrange the mushrooms.
The mushrooms need to be laid out so that the caps look up, and there is a little space between the mushrooms (1 mm).
Another way to carry out drying mushrooms in the oven- drying on knitting needles. If you decide to dry mushrooms using knitting needles, you will need wooden knitting needles that are the same length as the width of the oven. The ends of the knitting needles need to be sharpened and mushrooms strung on them. When the knitting needles are completely filled, they need to be placed in the oven so that the ends lie on the horizontal ribs of the side walls of the oven.
If the oven does not have special ventilation holes, you need to leave the door ajar. If there is a fan, turn it on.
At the beginning of drying set low temperature– approximately 50 °C. The initial stage of drying mushrooms should take place at a low temperature, because if the temperature is immediately high, white droplets of protein substances will appear on the mushrooms, and the mushrooms will darken. As soon as you notice droplets, you need to lower the temperature and remove the mushrooms from the oven.
After about 1.5 - 2 hours, the temperature is increased to 70-80 °C. At this temperature, the mushrooms should dry for about 2 more hours, after which the temperature in the oven is again lowered to 55 °C and the mushrooms are dried for another 2 hours.
During the drying process, do not forget to stir the mushrooms occasionally.
Dry mushrooms must be selected and the rest dried.
It's hard to say how long it takes drying mushrooms in the oven, since the drying time for each mushroom is different.
When dried, approximately 76% of the water in mushrooms is evaporated.
If the mushrooms are not completely dry in the oven, they can be dried in the air or indoors.
It’s easy to check whether the mushroom is dry – you need to break the cap. If the inside of the mushroom is wet, it has not dried yet and drying must be continued.
Dried mushrooms are convenient and easy to store. They are stored for a long time and do not lose their taste and aroma.
Dried mushrooms can be stored at any temperature, dark place. It is good to store mushrooms in glass jars, clay pots, tin, wooden and plastic boxes intended for storing food products. The container with dried mushrooms should not be sealed tightly. You can just cover it with foil. Dried mushrooms are also stored in bags, but moths can grow there.
Avid mushroom pickers usually know how to dry mushrooms in the oven for the winter - after all, they do this every year. And for those who are going to do this for the first time, we have prepared a number useful tips. Don't ignore them and you'll end up with some great dried mushrooms!
Collecting and bringing mushrooms from the forest is only half the battle; it is important to dispose of them correctly. Some of your forest “trophies” can be marinated and salted for the winter, some can be boiled and put in freezer for storage, but the most beautiful ones should be sent for drying. Why now almost everyone tries to dry mushrooms in a gas or electric oven? Because it is convenient and relatively fast. The process of such drying lasts only 7-8 hours, whereas in the natural way - in the open air - mushrooms dry for a long time, for several days.
Drying mushrooms in the oven: all the details
Remember, collected fresh mushrooms spoil very quickly, so when you come from the forest, literally immediately start sorting and processing them. Start drying them in the oven the same day.
Usually from forest mushrooms most often boletus mushrooms are dried for the winter, although you can take boletus, boletus, and even chanterelles. And from a whole bucket, as you thought, good mushrooms Only a few pieces can be set aside for drying. Because you need to take whole, strong, not spoiled or wormy specimens. It is unlikely that you will like it when you find a worm in a soup cooked with dried mushrooms. To prevent such incidents from happening, carefully sort the mushrooms you brought.
Once this work is done, the next step is to clear them of forest debris. Since mushrooms cannot be washed before drying in the oven, they must be peeled by hand. If you see that there is a lot of dust and fine sand on them that cannot be shaken off, put on cloth gloves or take a piece of cloth and wipe the mushrooms. Use a knife to trim the long legs. It is better to cut large mushrooms into several small pieces. Leave the medium and small ones as they are.
In theory, it is best to dry these gifts of the forest in an oven or on the street. But, firstly, not even every third house has a stove, and secondly, in middle lane There aren’t many fine autumn days, so a regular oven will come to the rescue.
Before putting the mushrooms in the oven to dry, we string them onto metal or wooden rods, making something like a mushroom kebab. Place them on the oven rack. If you don’t have twigs or skewers, you can place the mushrooms on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, or simply on a wire rack with the stem down. But in this case, you need to put something on the bottom of the oven (a metal sheet, a small baking sheet, a bowl), because the mushrooms will release moisture during the drying process, which will contaminate your oven.
At what temperature should you dry mushrooms?
When the mushrooms are all laid out, turn on the oven for low heating at a temperature of 40-45 degrees and let them dry for several hours. There is no need to increase the temperature, otherwise you will simply burn the mushrooms without drying them. You can add it only when they are almost ready - so to speak, to help the mushrooms dry completely. The oven door should always be kept open. This will allow moisture to evaporate better. Drying usually takes 7-9 hours, but the exact time is difficult to say, because mushrooms of different sizes will dry at different speeds. If your mushrooms are light in weight, break well and bend, they are ready. Let them cool completely, pack them in canvas bags, containers or glass jars, close tightly and store in a dry place. Dried mushrooms can be added to soup when cooking, or you can boil them and make a salad from them. Bon appetit and happy “quiet” hunting!