Mushrooms today: taste all year round – expert advises how to dry squirrels and boletus in the oven.

The tricks are simple

“Mushrooms are rich in protein, carbohydrates and fiber. They are very low in fat, but can be found in minerals, trace elements, potassium, phosphorus, copper, selenium, vitamins C, D and B, folic acid. To enjoy this nutritional value throughout the year, it is advisable to dry the mushrooms. This is one of the easiest and most effective ways of preservation, which is why these forest products perfectly preserve their flavor and aroma. It is important not to wash only the mushrooms prepared for drying; it is enough to clean them, trim them, it is advisable to choose them healthy. Although special dryers are often used for this preservation method, an oven is also perfect for the preparation, ”says Brigita Baratinskaitė, Head of Maxima’s Food Production Department.

The food production expert also highlights the main differences between dried squirrel and boletus. According to her, when dried, squirrels lose weight quickly and can be prepared in 6-7 hours at a temperature of 80-90 degrees. However, although boletus also dry for half a day, another rule applies to them: it is advisable to put them in the oven without washing, just lightly rubbed with a damp cloth, says the press release.

So, after talking about mushroom drying, Maxima’s food expert suggests several ways of this process. Yes, according to her, everyone can prepare forest products for their enjoyment throughout the year easily, quickly and without major challenges.

Oven dried

Place the mushrooms on a baking sheet. Then preheat the oven to 40 degrees and dry for a couple of hours. Then turn the mushrooms over, leave them in the oven for the same amount of time, then raise the temperature to 60 degrees, dry for another hour. It is worth noting that the oven door should always be open during drying. Mushrooms dried this way will have a soft, velvety texture, will slightly bend when pressed, but will not crumble. At the same time, it is important not to forget to store dry forest products in a tightly closed container, this way they will not be attacked by food moths.

Drying in a special dryer.

Clean the mushrooms, cut them into slices. The pieces should be 5-7mm thick. It is also perfect for drying and thicker ones, only it will take longer to wait for the result. Then put the cut forest products side by side on drying trays, select a drying program for mushrooms. The dryer will control the process temperature and time automatically. At the end of the program, it will be possible to enjoy perfectly dry mushrooms.

“They should be eaten within one or two years. Mushrooms dried in this way better retain their nutritional and flavor and aroma properties, and then gradually lose it. The most suitable for drying are boletus, red heather and mushrooms. Lepidoptera. They season soups, sauces, stews. In turn, goats, herbs and stumps turn black when processed, but they are perfect for food, they do not lose their smell and flavor “, concludes B. Baratinskaitė.