Content
- 1 Can champignons spoil in the refrigerator?
- 2 How to tell if champignons are gone
- 3 How to tell if dried champignons have gone bad
- 4 How to tell if pickled or canned champignons have gone bad
- 5 Is it possible to eat expired champignons?
- 6 How to determine the freshness of champignons
- 7 Storage rules
- 8 Conclusion
Champignons are one of the most commonly used mushrooms in cooking. They can be found on sale in any store, but these products may not always be fresh. To understand that the champignons have gone bad, and not to ruin your future culinary masterpiece, you can use one of the methods suggested below.
Can champignons spoil in the refrigerator?
Champignons, like any other product, have their own maximum permissible shelf life in the refrigerator. If you deviate from the recommended temperature or humidity parameters, it is sharply reduced. Under such conditions, as well as when the permissible storage period is exceeded, intensive decomposition processes begin in the tissues of the fungus, leading to spoilage of the product.
How to tell if champignons are gone
Fresh, just picked champignons have an attractive appearance, they are elastic to the touch, and there are no signs of rot or decomposition. However, such mushrooms only need a few hours to notice the first signs of spoilage.
This photo shows spoiled champignons
This happens especially quickly at elevated temperatures and humidity. If the mushrooms are not placed in the refrigerator within the next 6-8 hours, they will begin to spoil very quickly.
What spoiled champignons look like
Signs of spoiled fresh champignons are:
- Lack of matte shine, characteristic of freshly collected specimens.
- The appearance of black dots on the surface of the cap.
- The fruit bodies have become wet and slippery.
- The appearance of a foreign odor that differs from the natural almond or anise aroma of champignons.
- Blackening of the plates on the reverse side of the cap.
By all these signs you can quickly understand that the champignons are spoiled. If the damage is local in nature, then the harvest can most likely be saved by sorting out the mushrooms, cutting out problem areas and putting them into processing with mandatory boiling. If spoilage has begun en masse, then it is better not to tempt fate and throw the mushrooms in the trash.
How to tell if dried champignons have gone bad
Drying is an excellent way to prepare mushrooms for future use. However, violations of conditions and storage periods often lead to their damage. You can identify spoiled champignons by the following signs:
- Mold appeared on the slices of dried mushrooms.
- The aroma of mushrooms has a distinct smell of rot.
- The plates have lost their elasticity and are crumbling.
- Parasitic larvae or their signs (passages, holes) have appeared in the mushrooms.
Dried mushrooms need to be inspected from time to time
If these signs of spoiled champignons are detected in a timely manner, then part of the stock can sometimes be saved. In this case, it is necessary to completely sort out all the mushrooms and, without pity, throw away everything that has even the slightest sign of damage.
How to tell if pickled or canned champignons have gone bad
Canned champignons are a real delicacy. Many mushroom pickers pickle and salt them themselves, and in this case the likelihood of spoilage is quite high. The following factors may be the reason for this:
- Poor quality raw materials or ingredients.
- Violation of cooking technology.
- Poor pre-processing of raw materials.
- Insufficient sterilization of the product or container.
- Poor quality closure.
- Violation of storage conditions.
Each of these factors, individually or in combination, can lead to damage to the workpiece. Determining whether canned champignons have gone bad is quite simple. Signs of this are:
- Lack of clarity of brine or preservative.
- Blistering lids on jars.
- Fermentation accompanied by the release of gas bubbles.
- Strong unpleasant odor from an open container.
- Slime or traces of mold on removed pieces of product.
Bombing (blowing of lids) is the first sign of spoilage of canned mushrooms
Is it possible to eat expired champignons?
There are deadlines for any storage method.If after this period no traces of spoilage are detected, then the mushrooms can be eaten. In this case, it is better to heat treat fresh or frozen fruiting bodies. In any case, it is advisable not to exceed the shelf life of champignons in any form, because they are a perishable product. If any signs of spoilage appear on the fruiting bodies, then their use should be abandoned. Canned expired champignons are especially dangerous; they should be inspected carefully and, at the slightest suspicion, thrown into the trash. Don't risk your health.
What happens if you eat spoiled champignons?
Eating mushrooms that have begun to spoil can lead to stomach upset and, in some cases, severe food poisoning. Signs of this are the following symptoms:
- Acute spasmodic pain in the stomach.
- Nausea, vomiting with traces of bile and mucus.
- Diarrhea.
- General weakness.
- Increased sweating.
- Increased body temperature, chills.
- Heart rhythm disturbances.
Poisoning from spoiled mushrooms can be fatal
How to determine the freshness of champignons
When purchasing champignons in a store or from hand, be sure to pay attention to the following:
- The surface of the cap should be smooth, glossy white.
- There should be no traces of impacts, rot, dents or other mechanical damage on the surface.
- The cover covering the plates must be intact.
- The cut on the leg should not be dark.
- The mushroom should have a pleasant aroma without the smell of rot.
- The surface of the cap should be dry, pleasant to the touch, without mucus.
The photo above will help you understand how you can determine that fresh champignons have gone bad. If the cover covering the back of the cap is damaged, then you should definitely pay attention to the color of the plates. If they are chocolate brown in color, then the mushroom is most likely old. In young specimens the plates have a pinkish tint.
Storage rules
The shelf life of champignons depends on many factors, including the method of preservation. Freshly picked mushrooms should not be kept warm for more than 12 hours. During this time, they must be placed in the refrigerator or processed. After freezing or canning, their shelf life is much longer. Here are some conditions and recommended storage times for these mushrooms:
- In a refrigerator. In refrigerator conditions, fresh champignons can not spoil for 3 to 6 days. In this case, you need to use a closed container for storage to prevent moisture loss. Storage temperature should be within +2..+4°С.
- Frozen. The freezer allows you to preserve fresh champignons for much longer - from 6 to 9 months. At the same time, they should be in plastic packaging, or better yet, in vacuum packaging. The temperature should be maintained around -18 °C.
It is better to store frozen champignons in the freezer in a container
Using deep freezing, you can store not only fresh, but also pre-boiled or fried mushrooms. After heat treatment, they are cooled, placed in containers or bags and placed in the freezer.Under the same temperature conditions, fruiting bodies are stored without loss of properties for up to 6 months.
A short video on how to properly freeze and store champignons can be viewed at the link below:
Storage methods:
- Drying. Sliced and well-dried fruiting bodies are stored in clean linen bags in a cool, dry place. Under such conditions, mushrooms can be stored for 1-1.5 years.
- Pickling. If you follow the canning technology, pickled mushrooms can be stored in a cool place for up to 1 year.
Canned champignons are a real table decoration
Store-bought canned goods made industrially usually have a longer shelf life - up to 2 years.
Conclusion
In most cases, it is quite simple to understand that champignons have gone bad: you just need to carefully examine them. If there are signs of spoilage, there is no need to eat such mushrooms, no matter how sorry you are for them. You should never save money and risk your health.
