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Award-winning chef, author and forager Alan Bergo. Food is all around you.

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How to Freeze Wild Mushrooms

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chicken of the woods and chanterelle mushrooms

You found them, now how are you going to make the most of them?

If you’re a mushroom hunter, even a beginner, you’re going to have excess shrooms, and that’s a good thing. But you’ll want, and need to have some solid methods for preserving them in your bag of tricks to make the most of your harvest.

Drying and pickling are my favorite methods. But, if you’ve ever had a big harvest, you may have asked yourself: “what’s the best way to freeze wild mushrooms?”

Freezing can be a great way to preserve your harvest. Unlike drying and pickling mushrooms, there’s a lot of misinformation and weird opinions out there, so I’m going to try and set the record straight a bit, as well as share the methods I use.

You should know though, if it’s your first time, that frozen mushrooms, wild or cultivated, will never be as good as fresh, and some freeze better than others. 

Sous vide, frozen wild chicken of the woods mushrooms

Chicken of the woods, cooked and ready for their journey to the deep freeze.

I Don’t Often Freeze Wild Mushrooms Raw

Maybe you know someone that swears by freezing wild mushrooms and they say they do it every year. This can work with some wild mushrooms, but can ruin others. Freezing will give you flaccid, soggy mushrooms. Why? The reason all has to do with what happens to water when it freezes.

Expanding ice crystals tear flesh 

When water freezes, the particles freeze, but more importantly, they expand, and that expansion will tear, burst, rip, and basically destroy anything that tries to stand in it’s way, although you can’t see it with the naked eye.

This is why uncooked, raw, wild mushrooms are limp and watery after thawing. If you do have wild mushrooms you can freeze raw, you’ll want to cook them directly from the freezer. Sweating mushrooms in some butter, lard or oil with a healthy pinch of salt before freezing will help to remove some of the water they contain.

Discolored frozen mushrooms

Frozen raw Hericium taste terrible after thawing when frozen raw, and develop an unattractive yellow color. Avoid that by cooking before freezing.

Mushrooms frozen raw can develop off-flavors and colors 

Refer to the picture of vacuum-sealed Hericium (lions mane) frozen raw above. These are one of the best examples of why you should cook mushrooms before freezing.

Frozen raw and vacuum sealed, then thawed and cooked, the texture is soggy, but even worse, the Hericium developed a foul musky, bitter flavor that cooking will not remove. They also turn a dingy, dishwater yellow. The same thing happens to puffballs, but it’s worse.  

Cooked mushrooms save space 

In my world freezer space is at a premium. Taking a whole clump of chicken of the woods or another large mushroom and just bagging and putting in the freezer is going to take up valuable real estate. Trust me, you have better things to do than argue with your spouse about what that giant orange thing taking up space in the freezer is.

IQF Mushrooms (to freeze mushrooms raw) 

This is a popular technique that some people use who like to freeze mushrooms raw. I don’t use it often, but it does work for some. Here’s how to do it: take your cleaned mushrooms cut into pieces that you would throw into a pan to cook, and put them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment, a silicone mat, wax paper, or just use a non-stick tray.

Freeze the mushrooms. When they’re completely frozen, transfer them to a vacuum bag or a freezer bag. Most people I know cook the mushrooms like this directly from frozen, without thawing. It will not work for every mushroom. Here’s a list of mushrooms that it will work with

  • Hen of the Woods 
  • Morels 
  • Matsutake 
  • Oyster Mushrooms 

Frozen breaded morels 

This is a very popular treatment in rural areas of Wisconsin and Minnesota where I hunt morels. Take your large, cleaned morels and halve them, then dredge first in seasoned flour, egg, and breadcrumbs.

Put the breaded morels on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat and freeze them. When the mushrooms are frozen and stiff, transfer them to a vacuum bag or a freezer bag. Cook the breaded mushrooms directly from frozen in a shallow layer of oil until golden. 

Sous vide, frozen wild Ischnoderma mushrooms

Ischnoderma resinosum, seasoned, vacuum sealed and poached in oil to help ward off freezer burn.

Vacuum Sealed, Sous Vide Wild Mushrooms 

If you’re a forager, you need to have a vacuum sealer. Now, I have mixed feelings about sous-vide cooking, since it can quickly turn into a crutch for young cooks, but preserving your wild mushroom harvest is one place where it is incredibly useful and indispensable for me.

Frozen pheasant back mushrooms

Frozen pheasant back mushrooms

Sure, you can cook your wild mushrooms, and then vacuum seal them, but portioning them after cooking, especially if you’re using a method that has a lot of fat or oil, which helps ward off freezer burn, can get messy. Portioning some wild mushrooms into a vaccuum bag, adding some oil, salt and herbs, then cooking and freezing means everything is completely contained, and nothing has to be done after the mushrooms are cooked.

Don’t Squish Your Mushrooms

Another bonus of cooking your mushrooms after sealing is that vacuum sealing raw mushrooms and cooking afterwords is more gentle on your harvest. Vacuum sealing cooked mushrooms on the other hand, especially with delicate species, can flatten, compress, and ruin them, especially if they’re small buttons, like chanterelles or yellowfeet.

Leccinum mushroom

Finely chopped duxelles

Freezing Mushroom Duxelles

The tried and true space saver for the freezer is a classic mushroom duxelles. If I do freeze wild mushrooms, 99.% of the time this is how I do it. Freezing is probably the best way to preserve these for the long haul, since there isn’t any vinegar or high amounts of salt, and they’ll go bad relatively fast in the fridge.

With freezing duxelles, you also don’t have to worry about any loss of texture, since the mushrooms have been cooked, and finely chopped. This is also a decent way to freeze puffballs, but prepare yourself for lots of dicing.

Portioning Duxelles in Ice Cube Trays

A great way to portion duxelles (and a lot of other things) is to freeze them in ice cube trays, pop them out, and put in a freezer bag. Make sure the freezer bag is a heavy duty one though, since portioning into cubes increases the surface area that contacts air, which, over time can be susceptible to freezer burn.

Vacuum sealing the mushroom nuggets is a great way to save their quality too, especially in some of the vacuum bags that can be sealed, opened and re-sealed using a vacuum attachment.

Frozen chanterelle mushroom duxelles in an ice cube tray

Frozen portions of duxelles in an ice cube tray

Sous vide, frozen wild chicken of the woods mushrooms
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Sous-Vide Frozen Wild Mushrooms

Freezing cooked wild mushrooms is easy when they're frozen in a vacuum bag.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time2 hrs
Keyword: Sous vide, Wild mushrooms
Servings: 4

Equipment

  • Sous Vide Circulator

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 lb Wild mushrooms, such as chicken of the woods or chanterelles
  • 2 T unsalted butter (you can use oil but you may want to freeze it in an ice cube tray to ensure a good, solid seal).
  • Fresh herbs, especially thyme or bay leaves optional

Instructions

  • Clean your mushrooms well.
  • Season the mushrooms with salt, then put into the vacuum bag with the herbs and oil.
  • Seal the bag carefully, using the moist setting.
  • Cook the mushrooms at 165F for 2 hours or until completely cooked using the sous vide machine.
  • Immediately cool the mushroom bag in cold water, then dry the bag off and freeze.

Related

Previous Post: « Chrome-Footed Bolete
Next Post: Meatballs with Ischnoderma Gravy »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Stephani Franklin

    November 23, 2020 at 7:06 pm

    Hi, I am very intrigued by your freezing method. In the recipe, you neglected to note the amount/weight of the mushrooms. I have one pound of beautiful Chanterelles and I am dying to try out this method.

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      November 24, 2020 at 9:24 am

      Thanks for catching that. I’ve adjusted it.

      Reply
  2. Renee Losier

    August 9, 2021 at 5:24 pm

    Hello. This summer has been incredible for chanterelle foragers. I have several pounds of them. I’ve followed your pickling recipe and that is delicious. I’m intrigued by your freezing method. After having sealed the bags, you cook them in an oven at 165F? Is that correct? Thank you.

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      August 12, 2021 at 11:54 am

      No, sorry if that wasn’t clear. I’m using a sous vide machine here, you could just simmer vacuum sealed mushrooms for 20 minutes in simmering water though and it will have a similar effect.

      Reply
  3. Jill Levy

    October 21, 2021 at 11:29 am

    Does cooking in vacuum sealed bag with a Sous vide machine going to release chemicals from the plastic into the mushrooms? I am wary of this.

    Reply
  4. Karl Dziura

    July 18, 2022 at 8:20 am

    If I saute Chanterelles and freeze them, is it an effective way to preserve the taste and texture? If I vacuum seal them after sauteing, is that more effective? Given your explanation of the sous vide method, I’m wondering if it means that these other two methods don’t work.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Hunting and cooking hen of the woods mushrooms also known as maitake, or Grifola frondosa says:
    October 22, 2020 at 1:15 pm

    […] before I freeze them, so I make duxelles, or cook and vacuum seal them as I outline in my post on freezing wild mushrooms. But, some people do like the IQF freezing technique, so I’ll explain it quick. To IQF […]

    Reply

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Alan Bergo
Summer veg PSA: One of the edible plant parts I co Summer veg PSA: One of the edible plant parts I cover in my book you might not know are squash and pumpkin shoots. 

Tender and delicious, these are eaten around the world. The US is still coming around, but I see them occasionally at farmers markets. 

I like to give them a dip in boiling water to wilt them quick, then toss them with some fat or stir-fry them quick. The little curly-cues make them look like fairy tale veggies to me. 

#squashshoots #cucurbitaceae #eatmoreplants #kehoecarboncookware
Shaved cattail rhizomes with smoked trout, chickwe Shaved cattail rhizomes with smoked trout, chickweed, lemon, hickory nut oil and tarragon from the @wild.fed shoot. 

I spent a couple days trying to cook the rhizomes, and it works, but raw is my favorite prep. 

I add some smoked trout both for the salty pop and because it’s fun to mix aquatic edibles. Runner bean flowers for a splash of color. 

#cattails #foraging #chickweed #runnerbeans #saladsofinstagram
Long, fun day snatching crayfish out of the water Long, fun day snatching crayfish out of the water by hand with Sam Thayer and @danielvitalis for @wild.fed 

Daniel and Sam were the apex predators, but I got a few. 

Without a net catching crayfish by hand is definitely a wax-on wax-off sort of skill. Clears your mind. 

They’re going into gumbo with porcini, sausage and milkweed pods today. 

#crayfish #ninjareflexes #waxonwaxoff #normalthings #onset🎥🎬
Working all day on preps for cattail lateral rhizo Working all day on preps for cattail lateral rhizomes and blueberries for this weeks shoot with @wildfed 

Been a few years since I worked with these. Thankfully Sam Thayer dropped a couple off for me to work with. They’re tender, crisp and delicious. 

Sam mentioned their mild flavor and texture could be because they don’t have to worry about predators eating them, since they grow in the muck of cattail marshes. 

I think they could use a pet name. Pond tusk? Swamp spears? Help me out here. 😂

Nature makes the coolest things. 

#itcamefromthepond #cattail #rhizomes #foraging #typhalatifolia
I liked the staff meal I made for Mondays shoot so I liked the staff meal I made for Mondays shoot so much we filmed it instead of the original dish I’d planned. 

Cooked natural wild rice (not the black shiny stuff) is great hot, cold, sweet or savory. It’s a perfect, filling lunch for a long day of berry picking. 

I make them with whatever I have on hand. Mushrooms will fade into the background a little here, so I use a bunch of them, along with lots of herbs and hickory nut oil + dill flowers. 

I’m eating the leftovers today back up in the barrens (hopefully) getting some more bluebs for another shoot this week w @wild.fed 

#wilwilwice #wildrice #chanterelles #campfood #castironcooking
Baby’s first homegrown mushrooms! Backyard wine Baby’s first homegrown mushrooms! Backyard wine caps on hardwood sawdust from my lumberjack buddy.

Next up blewits. Spawn from @northsporemushrooms

#winecaps #strophariaaeruginosa #allthemushroomtags
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