Dehydration of food products is a well-known method of preservation, in which all the taste qualities and useful ingredients of the product are preserved.
By drying in the sun, wind or using special devices for the purpose, the water is extracted and the durability of the fruit or vegetable is increased.
One of the products that are often dehydrated to preserve them are mushrooms, and here we will pay special attention to one of their tastiest representatives - Shiitake.
To dry Shiitake, you can choose from several methods and decide which one is convenient for you, but before resorting to the essence, you need to clean them. This is done with a slightly moistened clean cloth, which is used to remove dirt and stuck grass. The stumps are removed.
The mushrooms can be dried whole, if they are smaller, or cut into 2-3 mm thick pieces, which would speed up the drying process.
Oven drying of shiitake mushrooms
Shiitake are distributed in one or more baking pans in a single layer and they may touch each other, since during dehydration their volume will decrease to 1/3 and there will be a gap afterwards.
For a better and faster effect, they can also be arranged on grids.
They are dried for 4-6 hours at 50-60°C, the duration depending on the thickness of the mushrooms.
If they are directly arranged in the tray, they must be turned every 30 minutes and if they are on a grid, this is not necessary.
If the oven allows it, it is good to leave the door slightly open and place a towel over the opening. This way, the moisture extracted from the mushrooms will not concentrate inside.
The oven must be electric and never gas, because we risk the mushrooms absorbing a toxic and unpleasant smell.
After they have shrunk and dried, the dried Shiitake mushrooms are left for 1 hour to cool completely and the remaining moisture to evaporate.
Drying Shiitake in a semi-open room
Another method you can use is drying in a drafty, semi-open space with no direct sunlight. The room should be warm and not humid.
The mushrooms are arranged on grill rack and dried for 2-3 days, again depending on the thickness. Little tricks that can be applied here are for example blowing them with a fan or placing them with the grill rack on a warm radiator.
In this method, as well as in the next one we will look at, the Shiitake do not necessarily have to lie on a grill rack, but can be strung on a string like a necklace.
Drying Shiitake in the Sun
The third and perhaps the oldest method of drying mushrooms is sun drying. However, with it there are risks of our mushrooms being attacked by insects or other nasties, so this technique is usually only applied in industrial settings where special solar lamps are used and humidity and temperature are strictly maintained.
If you still want to try this method, know that you should always harvest the mushrooms at night, because then the humidity increases. Of course, it's always good to put a fine net on top to protect the dried mushrooms from the flies.
Fortunately, there is another method by which you can dehydrate Shiitake and that is, of course, a special household appliance for the purpose - a food dehydrator. In it, the mushrooms are arranged on several levels and drying becomes faster, more convenient and economical compared to the oven.
Once you have dehydrated your shiitake mushrooms, they are ready to be stored in tightly sealed airtight containers or glass jars, which are perfectly dry.
Some of the mushrooms you could grind and use for mushroom sauces and mushroom soups and keep the rest in pieces to add to stews, mushroom risotto and any mushroom dishes.
Before use, hydrate the shiitake in hot water for 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on thickness and size. Don't throw away the water they were in, but also put it in the dish.
Also, they can be added directly to the soup, sauce, or mushroom stew, while it's simmering on the stove.
Good luck in your endeavor!
