Hello, My name is Shimashima. This is Shiitake Mushroom Laboratory! We will send you good information about shiitake mushrooms.

Today's theme is a way to deliciously preserve shiitake mushrooms. Shiitake mushrooms, which are fungi, can easily be perished. If you do the incorrect preservation method, your mushroom will soon get bruised or discolored, and will lose its flavor. By all means, we have to know the correct way of preserving the shiitake mushrooms, and have a delicious mushroom always.

 

What is the weakness of Shiitake mushrooms?

First of all, I'd like to answer XX. The weakness of Shiitake mushroom is "moisture".
When cultivating shiitake mushrooms, it grows quickly by keeping a certain degree of humidity, but this moisture becomes a weakness when preserving it. The key prerequisite for preserving Shiitake mushrooms is to avoid moisture and to keep it in a dry state as possible.

Here's a question. Are you using water when cooking shiitake mushrooms?

Shiitake mushrooms made by mushroom bed are basically grown pesticide-free. However, it is necessary to wash with water before cooking.

 

Let's take a look at the preservation method and here are four ways to do them.

Preservation by room temperature

If you will use the mushroom immediately, you can store it at room temperature. Humidity of the room is your biggest concern when storing at room temperature. It is safe to put it together with a desiccant in a plastic bag etc. Also note how to place the shiitake. Shiitake mushrooms are said to be better headed down and axis up. The flavor of shiitake mushroom comes from its spore. And when the spore under the cap falls, the flavor will be weaker. Put it in cold dark place when arranging it neatly.

 

Preservation by refrigerating

Refrigerate if you want to have it for a few days. The inside of the refrigerator is dry because it is low temperature. It is because the saturated water vapor amount is low at low temperature and it is impossible to have much moisture in the air. It is the same reason why it dries in the winter. Therefore, for shiitake mushrooms, refrigerator is a comfortable space. However, let me give you one advice, use a kitchen paper or newspaper when storing in the refrigerator. This will absorb extra moisture. Place it in a plastic bag in that state. It is perfect if you position the cap down as well.

Preservation by Freezing

If you do not plan to use it for a while, freeze it. Freezing the mushroom will bring out the flavor even more so I highly suggest that you store it by freezing even if you plan to use it the next day. To store the mushroom in the freezer, remove the shaft and cut them into small pieces or even bite size if necessary. Put them in plastic bags separately depending on your amount of usage. You can take it out of the freezer and use it for cooking immediately. In fact, once all mushrooms was frozen, it is said that cell membranes are easy to break and that delicious ingredients tend to come out. You may feel it is tastier than eating it without being frozen.

 

Preservation by drying

Most commercially available dry shiitake mushrooms are dried in a dryer. However, if you dry by yourself, we recommend sun drying. It is said the nutrition value will rise if it is dried under the sun. The method is also easy. Let's prepare a basket and dry it with the cap down. If the heat is strong like summer, it will only take 2 to 3 days to dry out. If the sun is not out, it will take 3 to 5 days. If you store it in a vacuum pack together with a dehumidifier such as silica gel, it will last longer.

 

Summary

Let's summarize what we have discussed.

• The weakness of shiitake mushrooms is moisture. Dry and store.
• Do not wash it before storing it.
• Choose the most convenient way to preserve the mushroom: room temperature, refrigerating, freezing, and sun drying. The best way is freezing!