Store extra mushrooms for later

Somehow, I always have mushrooms left over. Almost every recipe I use calls for 4 ounces…half the standard 8-ounce package. I have the best intentions of using the second half of the mushrooms the next morning in an omelette or something but always seem to forget until they’re nasty. I definitely needed a way to store extra mushrooms for later.

I wish they would last just until the next week. At that point, I’d be doing menu planning and see that I had ‘em. But without some help, they just won’t make it. Here’s two easy ways you can store ‘em so you have ‘em for that next week or whenever.

The paper bag trick

I don’t know where he saw it, but several years back, my son told me about the paper bag trick for fresh mushrooms. Gotta keep one of those lunch-sized bags handy just for this purpose!

Empty your mushrooms right into the bag and seal. No washing or anything…just dump ‘em in. Close it up and put it in your crisper drawer. I checked mine every day for 8 days, and they didn’t get slimy. Your results might vary so you may wanna check ‘em every day or two just to make sure.

Then when you’re ready to cook with them, simply give ‘em a gentle rub underwater with your fingertips (get all the direct that’s stuck on the skin), cut and you’re ready to go. You could even use them raw in a salad this way.

Store extra mushrooms in the freezer

If you’re not sure when you’ll need ‘em, give ‘em that gentle wash, pat ‘em dry (don’t want any ice crystals), cut however you like and freeze ‘em just like we did the strawberries (see that in the second half of this post). Lay out the individual pieces on a wax-lined baking sheet making sure they don’t touch.

After a couple of hours, they’ll be frozen solid. Mark your freezer baggie as to what and how much is in the bag (oh, and the date) and toss ‘em in there. Remove as much air as you can and into the freezer they go.

Ready to cook with ‘em? It’s super quick and easy! If you’re adding to a one pot-type meal, simply pour ‘em in frozen for the last 5 minutes of cook time and stir thoroughly. They’ll defrost AND cook in that time. Easy, peasy!

If you’re gonna sauté ‘em, simply heat your oil or butter, then carefully add the mushrooms to the pan. Cook and stir on medium heat until they’re done to your liking. Again, this certainly won’t take long!

Mushrooms left over? No problem!

Now when you use half a package of mushrooms, you have two quick options to save the extras to enjoy later. No waste, no slime, super easy to cook with (the frozen method)…what more could you want? My inspiration for all things mushroom came from goodcheapeats.com. Check out Jessica’s original post for more mushroom goodness!