Monica's favorite gear
for freezing mushrooms
I've tried many grinders through the years, and these are simply the best. There's an easy dial for adjusting the grind from fine to coarse, and they look nice on the table, too. They come filled with sea salt crystals and peppercorns.
This highly rated skillet is perfect for many cooking tasks including sauteeing mushrooms.
This 13 by 18 inch pan is called a "half sheet" is the perfect size for cooling the mushrooms in this recipe. It's a versatile pan for all kinds of baking and roasting. Click below for convenient storage lid.
Also available: half-sheet lid
These are perfect for freezing portions of mushrooms.
This is a durable, affordable set. Use the 1/2 cup to portion mushrooms for freezing.

How to Freeze Mushrooms

no more spoiled and wasted mushrooms with this easy method for prepping and freezing


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How to Freeze Mushrooms

By Monica              2 c. cooked mushroom
Saute', portion, and freeze mushrooms to save money and reduce waste. These are so convenient to have on hand to add to pizza, omelets, stir-fries, soups, pasta sauces, and more. From TheYummyLife.com #mushrooms #freeze #reducewaste

Saute', portion, and freeze mushrooms to save money and reduce waste.

Ingredients
  • 2 tablespooons olive oil
  • 16 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • salt & pepper (optional)

Directions
TO COOK: Heat olive oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add mushrooms. (Cook in batches if skillet is too small.) Saute', stirring frequently, until just cooked through and any released liquid cooks off. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Transfer to plate or baking sheet to cool completely.

MUSHROOM VOLUME from raw to cooked: Mushrooms reduce in volume by half as they cook. Use these measurements as a guideline for using mushrooms in recipes.

4 oz. (1 cup) raw mushrooms
= 1/2 cup sauteed mushrooms

TO PORTION AND FREEZE: Use measuring cup to mound 1/2-cup portions of sauteed, cooled mushrooms in center of piece of plastic wrap; flatten into even layer and wrap tightly. Repeat with remaining mushrooms. Insert wrapped mushrooms inside Ziploc-type freezer bag. (4 portions will fit in a quart-size bag.) Press out as much air as possible as you seal the bag. Or, insert wrapped mushroom portions into plastic or glass freezer container. Label and date the bag or container with portion amounts. Freeze for up to 6 months.

TO THAW: Place frozen packet(s) of mushrooms in refrigerator overnight or thaw on counter at room termperature for one hour. It is normal for frozen mushrooms to release liquid as they thaw.

TO USE: Thawed mushrooms may be added to any recipe that calls for cooked mushrooms: pizza, omeletes, burgers, rice, stir-fries, soups, pasta sauces, and more.

If you're like me you often discover a partial container of fresh mushrooms in the bottom of the vegetable drawer that are way past their prime--into the trash they go. Well, NO MORE, now that I've figured out how to prep and freeze them for future use.

Not only am I reducing waste and saving money, but I've also found it very handy to have frozen mushrooms on hand for use in a variety of recipes. In fact, part of my shopping plan now is to buy extra mushrooms when they are on sale or available in large containers from a big box store. I prep and freeze them all at once.

Some vegetables can be frozen in their raw state, but I haven't had any luck freezing raw mushrooms. Their texture and appearance become funky when frozen raw. However, I've found that if you saute' them first, they freeze well. Here's how I do it.

Step-by-step photos for
Prepping and Freezing Mushrooms

 

Step 1. Assemble the ingredients

  • fresh mushrooms, sliced (buy them pre-sliced or slice them yourself)
  • olive oil
  • salt & pepper (optional); view on Amazon

IMG_2026resize_labeled.jpg

Step 2. SAUTE' MUSHROOMS. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add mushrooms. (Cook in batches if your skillet is smaller.) Saute', stirring frequently, until just cooked through and any released liquid cooks off. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

collage_cookingmushrooms_resizetm.jpg

Step 3. COOL. Spread them out on a plate or baking sheet to cool completely.

IMG_20200315_085042resizetm.jpg

NOTE ABOUT VOLUME from raw to cooked:  

  • Mushrooms reduce in volume by half as they cook. Keep that in mind when portioning mushrooms and using them in recipes.
  • 4 oz. (1 cup) raw mushrooms = 1/2 cup sauteed mushrooms.
  • In the photos above, I sauteed 16 oz of fresh mushrooms; that resulted in four 1/2-cup portions of cooked mushrooms.

Step 4. PORTION AND FREEZE. Use a measuring cup to mound 1/2-cup portions of sauteed, cooled mushrooms in the center of a piece of plastic wrap. Flatten the mushrooms into an even layer and wrap tightly. (A thin, even layer will facilitate thawing later.) Repeat with remaining mushrooms. Insert wrapped mushrooms inside a Ziploc-type freezer bag. (4 portions will fit in a quart-size bag.) Press out as much air as possible as you seal the bag. Or, insert the wrapped mushroom portions into plastic or glass freezer container. Label and date the bag or container with portion amounts. Freeze for up to 6 months.

view on Amazon:  quart Ziploc freezer bags, stainless steel measuring cups, Sharpie marker (for labeling)

collage_bagmushrooms_resizetm.jpg

TO THAW: Place frozen packet(s) of mushrooms in the refrigerator overnight or thaw on counter at room temperature for 1-2 hours. It is normal for frozen mushrooms to release liquid as they thaw. 

TO USE: Thawed mushrooms may be added to any recipe that calls for cooked mushrooms, for example:

  • pizza
  • omelets
  • burgers
  • stir-fries
  • rice
  • soups
  • pasta sauces

It is so convenient to have these pre-measured, pre-cooked packets of mushrooms on hand in my freezer. And, NO MORE WASTED MUSHROOMS!

squareIMG_2010_resize1400.jpg

Here's are more ways to reduce waste and save money: 

Make it a Yummy day!

Monica

Link directly to this recipe
How to Freeze Mushrooms
By Monica              Servings: 2 c. cooked mushroom
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespooons olive oil
  • 16 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • salt & pepper (optional)
Directions
TO COOK: Heat olive oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add mushrooms. (Cook in batches if skillet is too small.) Saute', stirring frequently, until just cooked through and any released liquid cooks off. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Transfer to plate or baking sheet to cool completely.

MUSHROOM VOLUME from raw to cooked: Mushrooms reduce in volume by half as they cook. Use these measurements as a guideline for using mushrooms in recipes.

4 oz. (1 cup) raw mushrooms
= 1/2 cup sauteed mushrooms

TO PORTION AND FREEZE: Use measuring cup to mound 1/2-cup portions of sauteed, cooled mushrooms in center of piece of plastic wrap; flatten into even layer and wrap tightly. Repeat with remaining mushrooms. Insert wrapped mushrooms inside Ziploc-type freezer bag. (4 portions will fit in a quart-size bag.) Press out as much air as possible as you seal the bag. Or, insert wrapped mushroom portions into plastic or glass freezer container. Label and date the bag or container with portion amounts. Freeze for up to 6 months.

TO THAW: Place frozen packet(s) of mushrooms in refrigerator overnight or thaw on counter at room termperature for one hour. It is normal for frozen mushrooms to release liquid as they thaw.

TO USE: Thawed mushrooms may be added to any recipe that calls for cooked mushrooms: pizza, omeletes, burgers, rice, stir-fries, soups, pasta sauces, and more.



Posted on Tuesday, April 14th, 2020

Looking for holiday gifts for the foodie in your life?
Here are a few gift guides I made to help:








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