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In deciduous forests, birch groves, along the edges of reservoirs, streams and lakes, you can often find wave mushrooms - attractive-looking mushrooms with flat pink or white caps. The specificity of their preparation is such that before preparing delicious dishes, mushrooms must be processed. It’s worth learning more about how to soak the mushrooms before salting, frying or boiling ahead of the “hot” summer season of mushroom preparations.
Do I need to soak the waves?
Volzhanka, or volnushka, both pink and white varieties, are most often eaten in salted form. To ensure that the final product is tasty and without bitterness, the mushrooms must be soaked before pickling. The duration of the process should be 2 - 3 days, with periodic changes of water. Be sure to soak the fried fish before other methods of culinary processing: boiling, frying or pickling.This is due to the fact that this type of mushroom family, when cut, releases a bitterish whitish juice, which gives an unpleasant aftertaste to the finished dish. Soaking for several days with periodic changes of water allows you to get rid of this juice and ultimately get a high-quality, tasty and healthy product.
How to soak volnushki correctly
Before soaking the volushki brought from the forest, you must:
- sort;
- clear;
- rinse thoroughly.
White and pink varieties are sorted separately, and cleaning and soaking are carried out in different containers. The legs are cut off by 2/3, the affected areas (eaten by worms or dry) are cut out. Using a knife, remove sand, soil, and stuck leaves. A stiff brush is suitable for cleaning, which quickly and efficiently removes dirt. Prepared mushrooms are poured with cold, ideally settled or filtered water and left in a cool place. The volushki are soaked for 2 - 3 days, during which the liquid is changed 5 - 7 times. If it becomes cloudy, then change the water more often. Salt is added to the soaking water at the rate of 5% of the total weight of the waves. Mushrooms ready for further cooking become soft, do not break, but bend: these are signs that the soaking process has come to an end. The mushroom mass is placed in a colander, washed and the liquid is allowed to drain completely.
In what container?
The best option for dishes in which to soak the fritters before cooking, frying or salting is an enameled large saucepan.The dishes are taken in such a way that the water completely covers the mushrooms.
It is not recommended to soak wavefish in a plastic bucket, as the saline solution causes the release of toxic substances harmful to human health. In exceptional cases, you can soak Volzhanka in a bucket made of food-grade plastic rather than industrial plastic. Special markings on the bottom of the container will indicate the type of material.
The PVC symbol indicates that the cookware is made of polyvinyl chloride, which in an alkaline environment releases a significant amount of chemical compounds hazardous to human health. Mushrooms are not soaked in such buckets, much less salted.
What kind of water should you soak the trumpet mushrooms in before salting?
Soaking the trumpets before marinating or salting is done in cold, salted water. For 10 kg of purified mushroom mass, add 50 g of table salt, non-iodized salt and a little citric acid. Ideally, the water should be filtered and settled.
How to soak volnushki so that they do not sour
To prevent the process of fermentation and souring from starting in the soaking water, it is changed regularly. Over the three days required for soaking the volushki, the liquid is drained 6-7 times, that is, 3 times a day, while the raw material is filled with a new portion each time. When cloudy, the water is changed more often - up to 5 times a day, which avoids souring. Added salt and citric acid (10 g and 2 g per 1 liter of water) also prevents the development of fermentation. Souring can occur if the horns are poorly cleaned and washed before soaking.
Is oppression necessary when soaking waves?
To prevent the Volzhanka from floating up during soaking, they are pressed down under pressure. To do this, use a wooden circle or a glass flat plate, on which strong, flint stones are placed, enriching the mineral composition of the solution. Instead of stones, you can use a regular glass jar filled with water. The same pressure is useful for cold salting of representatives of the mushroom family.
How and how long to soak volnushki before salting
You can pickle volushki cold or hot. In the first case, after soaking, they are placed in prepared containers, sprinkled with salt and spices. Afterwards they put pressure on it and put it away for salting in a cool place. In order to completely get rid of the bitter, unpleasant aftertaste, mushroom raw materials should be soaked for 2 to 3 days, with regular changes of water. Since the cold method of pickling does not involve any heat treatment, you should be careful when cleaning, washing and soaking mushrooms. For hot cooking technology, the product is soaked for less time, optimally for two days in a cool, dark place. After this, for the hot and cold salting method, the caps that have changed their color and structure are re-treated with a soft sponge and placed in a colander to drain the liquid.
How long and how to soak volushki before cooking and frying
In addition to salting, volushki are soaked for a certain time before other methods of culinary processing.To prepare fried and boiled mushroom dishes, Volzhanka is soaked for 1 - 2 days, with periodic changes of cold water. After this, the mushroom mass is thoroughly washed, boiled for 15 - 20 minutes, then fried or stewed in sour cream and sauce. Mushroom dishes are eaten immediately, without delay until the next day.
Volnushki are conditionally edible mushrooms that require pre-processing before eating. Soaking mushrooms is necessary for the recommended time. Otherwise, the product will be unfit for consumption, as it may cause poisoning with toxic poisons.
What do the waves look like after soaking?
After soaking, the mushroom caps become soft and pliable, completely changing their structure. Unlike raw ones, they do not break, but bend. In addition, during the soaking process they lose their crunchy qualities. The color of the caps turns from light pink to grayish, darker. During the process of pickling or other cooking methods, the mushrooms change color even more and darken.
Summarizing the rules for processing trumpets before salting, it is important to highlight the main points:
- mushrooms are sorted by type and size in order to further process each category separately;
- Afterwards, be sure to soak the prepared raw materials in cold water with the addition of salt and citric acid for 2 - 3 days, changing the liquid 7 - 8 times during the entire period;
- the liquid should completely cover the mushrooms;
- Do not use metal, copper or galvanized utensils;
- the hot salting method is safer for health, since all bacteria are killed during heat treatment, and further cold salting allows the product to maintain high taste qualities;
- After soaking, the volnushki are thrown into a colander and the water is allowed to drain.
A little about soaking mushrooms - in the video:
What to do with volnushki after soaking
After soaking, the mushrooms are placed in a colander and the water is allowed to drain, after which they are boiled or immediately salted. In the first case, for hot salting, the mushroom mass is boiled from the moment of boiling for 15 minutes, the water is drained and sprinkled with salt. In the second, “cold” salting method, the soaked product is placed in a previously prepared container - jars or other container - sprinkled with salt and spices, covered with gauze and placed under pressure in a cool place.
Conclusion
It is necessary to soak the volushki before salting and pickling in the same way as other representatives of lamellar and tubular varieties containing milky juice. This pre-processing will allow you to obtain a delicious delicacy that you can enjoy with pleasure in the winter.
