Who wouldn’t like to enjoy the taste of delicious saffron milkcaps in autumn or winter? When we can’t go to the woods to pick them up, it’s still possible to enjoy them: just freeze them ahead of time!
Saffron milkcaps taste perfect and unique when fried on butter or added to scrambled eggs. It’s impossible to find a replacement for them that would let us achieve such a taste.
How to freeze saffron milkcaps so that they remain tasty and firm for a long time? Check out our step-by-step guide.
The first step is to use the season when mushrooms grow in abundance to the fullest and get as many saffron milkcaps as possible.
Although dried saffron milkcaps are undeniably delicious, it’s freezing that allows us to enjoy the mushrooms’ taste and the form they had when picked up in the woods. When dried, they, unfortunately, lose their shape. If we want them to be not only tasty but also presentable, it’s important to freeze them properly.
How to freeze saffron milkcaps properly – preparation
Where to start to ensure the best result possible?
Start with the same step that applies also to chanterelles: from selecting the best ones.
You can only freeze healthy mushrooms – if you see one that’s soft, rotten, or wormy, use it right away or throw it out. Remove all mushrooms that seem off, as they tend to spoil pretty fast and their condition starts to deteriorate immediately after they’re picked up.
I wouldn’t recommend washing them – it’s enough to clean them when dry, with a brush, a towel, or paper towels. If you can’t seem to get rid of the dirt, you can use running water. Remember to dry them well before freezing, if that’s what you end up doing! Place them on paper towels to let them absorb all the water.
Blanching before freezing
It is absolutely necessary to blanch saffron milkcaps before freezing. If you fail to complete this step, the thawed mushrooms may have a bitter taste and will end up being unpalatable. Additionally, blanching prolongs the time you can store the mushrooms for!
So how to blanch saffron milkcaps?
It’s pretty simple: expose the mushrooms to a higher temperature and salt. It’s enough to put them in boiling, salty water for 10 minutes, then treat them to a brief cold bath under running water and, finally, dry them on paper towels.
Mushrooms decrease in size during blanching, which may be helpful when it comes to storing them in your freezer.
It’s best to freeze saffron milkcaps in whole unless you know you’ll use them to make soups. In that case, it’s ok to cut them into smaller pieces to your liking. It’s also recommended to get rid of the stem entirely or at least cut it short.
Preparing saffron milkcaps for freezing
If you have a good freezer that is capable of freezing food fast and to a low temperature, you can freeze your saffron milkcaps directly after drying.
It’s better, though, to fry them for 10 minutes on clarified butter. That step will help them stay usable for longer; they will also let go of the majority of water they’re storing and will decrease in size.
Remember to fry each bit from all sides.
What to use for freezing?
To freeze saffron milkcaps, you can use containers or plastic bags. Just like with other mushroom species, I’d recommend placing your saffron milkcaps on a board first. When pre-frozen, you can put them in the bag or container you intend to store them in. That way the mushrooms won’t stick to one another and their shape won’t be altered.
Saffron milkcaps are rather small by nature (the more so after blanching and frying), so you can go ahead and freeze them in whole. If you don’t need them to look particularly presentable, you can put them in a bag together for freezing. If you’d prefer to have a chance to get individual mushrooms out of the freezer, place them on a board so that they don’t touch one another during pre-freezing, and then move them to the proper bag or container after a couple of hours.
Remember to label your bags or containers with the name of mushrooms stored inside! You’ll likely be freezing other types of mushrooms as well. Once frozen, it’s really hard to distinguish them from one another.
How long can frozen saffron milkcaps be stored for?
The optimal time frame for preparing and using your frozen saffron milkcaps is 6 months. After that, check if they taste fine before adding them to your meals! Chances are they’ll remain usable for up to a year.
It’s best to store your frozen mushrooms at -18 degrees Celsius.
Once you decide to prepare some frozen saffron milkcaps, remember that you don’t really need to thaw them! You can put them directly in a pot or a pan.
If your saffron milkcaps were thawed, do not freeze them again. Eating mushrooms that were re-frozen may be detrimental to your health! You should also avoid thawing them in a microwave – it will change them into a shapeless pulp.