Cooking Hack: How To Dehydrate Mushrooms To Increase Their Shelf Life And Use Them

Mushrooms are a healthy and nutritious vegetable that is consumed all over the world. There’s not just one kind of mushroom that is available at the stores, but a variety of them, starting from white button mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, morels, and porcini mushrooms to shiitake mushrooms. These are used in making zesty curries, soups, pasta, sandwiches, and many other dishes. While making mushroom dishes is easy, the challenging part is to keep the vegetable fresh and edible for consumption. Mushrooms, as compared to other vegetables, tend to spoil quite early. However, we have found an amazing method of storing mushrooms to increase their shelf life. Here we will teach you how you can dehydrate mushrooms and use them.

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Follow These Simple Steps To Dehydrate Mushrooms:

1. Rinse Them Properly

Nobody wants to have food with dirt particles. This is why cleaning vegetables and food is the first and most important part of cooking, and the same will be followed here. In a bowl, add cold water and keep the mushrooms in it. Now rub off the dirt stuck on mushrooms with the help of your hands. Ensure you do it gently as we don’t want to break the mushrooms. Once done, rinse it with fresh water.

_{Clean the dirt from the mushrooms. Photo Credit: unsplash}

2. Clean Them With Kitchen Towel

We don’t want to keep wet mushrooms lying on a tray as water will make them soggy. There are also chances of mushrooms rotting if kept wet for longer. So, it is crucial to clean and dry them with a dry kitchen towel. Keep the mushrooms in the towel and gently dab them with the towel. This way the water will be soaked by the towel. Avoid using tissues to clean-dry mushrooms as they can stick to them.

3. Cut Discoloured Parts

Mushrooms spoil quickly and even if you have bought fresh mushrooms, there are chances that some parts can get discoloured or have dark spots. Simply trim that particular part and discard it. Keeping the discoloured part for longer may ruin the whole batch of mushrooms, this is why separating them is a must.

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4. Slice Them Up

It’s not easy to dehydrate whole mushrooms, so you should slice them up. With the help of a knife, cut thin slices of mushrooms. Make sure they aren’t too thick or extremely thin. The width of the mushroom should be medium-sized. This will help mushrooms to dehydrate faster.

_{Chop mushrooms in thin slices. Photo Credit: unsplash}

5. Sun Dry or Bake Them

Sun drying and baking are two methods for dehydrating the mushrooms. You can use any of these as per your preference. For sun drying the mushrooms, place the slices of mushrooms on a tray, leaving some gaps. Keep them under the sunlight for 2-3 days. Make sure to flip the mushrooms, so both sides sun dries nicely. Don’t forget to get them inside on rainy days. Another way to dehydrate mushrooms is by baking them in the oven. This method is comparatively faster than sun drying. Bake the mushrooms at 120 degrees for 5-10 minutes, check the mushrooms and do the same until they are dry.

6. Store Them Properly

Once the mushrooms have been properly dehydrated, ensure to store them in an airtight container. If kept open, they can absorb moisture and end up rotting or losing their crispiness. Another way to store them is by packing them in a zip-lock bag. Just place kitchen tissue inside it and layer it with dehydrated mushrooms.

How To Use Dehydrated Mushrooms?

You can use dehydrated mushrooms in multiple ways. Take a look at the recipe options we have listed for you:

1. Clear Mushroom Soup:

Make tasty mushroom soup with dehydrated mushrooms. Just add the mushrooms to the hot broth with spices, boil them for 10-15 minutes and your soup will be ready. Click here for the full recipe.

2. Mushroom Curry:

Nothing beats a scrumptious bowl of mushroom curry that is made with spices like pepper, garam masala, turmeric, etc. All you have to do is soak the dehydrated mushrooms in hot water for 2-3 minutes before cooking them. Click here for the full recipe.

3. Mushroom Masala Toast:

What’s better than making a healthy toast for your breakfast with tasty mushroom masala spread? This recipe can be easily made in 15 minutes. Click here for the full recipe.

These were some helpful tips for you to dehydrate mushrooms and use them. If you liked them, do let us know in the comment section below.