Why do the breasts turn black and how to fix it?
In Russian cuisine, mushrooms are of particular importance - salted mushrooms are a favorite snack on any holiday table. In addition, salting of mushrooms is an excellent option for harvesting fruit bodies for the winter.
Since these mushrooms have a bitter taste due to milk that is in the pulp, there are situations when, when soaked, boiled or salted, the breasts turn black.
What happens to fruiting bodies, why does the breast turn black? Sometimes these mushrooms can darken at the cut almost immediately. Mycologists attribute almost all types of breasts to conditionally edible mushrooms, since their use in food in raw form is impossible. As mentioned above, the unpleasant burning-pepper taste of fruiting bodies disappears only after soaking and boiling. However, fans of mushroom "hunting" respect these mushrooms, which unpredictably abundantly bear fruit, have high nutritional value and excellent gastronomic qualities. White breast, which is also called real, is especially appreciated. But be that as it may, many mushroom pickers, especially beginners, wonder why white breasts turn black.
It turns out that any breast blackens on the cut, because it emits a caustic juice of a whitish hue, which, when it comes into contact with the air, first turns gray-yellow, and then literally turns black. However, this should not frighten the fans of “mushroom hunting,” who are mistrustful of fruiting bodies that “suspiciously” change color on the cut. In practice, it is confirmed that, after proper processing, the mushrooms become edible and very tasty, with a crispy structure.
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Why do the breasts become black on the slice when soaked in water?
Breasts with milky juice, bitter in taste, must be soaked for 1.5-3 days, although some species can be soaked for up to 5 days. There are times that the mushrooms in this process also change color. Why do the breasts turn black while soaking, and what should the housewives do in this case?
Darkening of mushrooms while soaking is a common problem. It is worth saying that only those breasts that have been without water for a long time turn black. Therefore, experienced chefs advise when pre-cleaning to immediately put clean mushrooms in water and cover.
During the entire soaking process, the water in the mushrooms should change several times a day. But sometimes when soaking the breasts turn black, why is this happening? It turns out that mushrooms should not only be completely immersed in water, but also not be affected by sunlight. It is light that is another reason why the breasts in the water blacken. Therefore, after the mushrooms have been peeled, they are dipped in cold water, crushed with a load and covered so that light does not get. If, nevertheless, a problem arose and the mushrooms turned black - do not worry, everything can be fixed.
- Wash the mushrooms again, add cold water and crush with a load.
- Allow the loaves to stand for several hours, and then boil and then marinate or pickle.
Note that the main point of soaking the breasts is not only to remove bitterness from them, but also to give the pulp elasticity. With each subsequent water change, it is necessary to evaluate the degree of elasticity of the mushrooms - perhaps it is time to salt them already.
Warm water when soaking the breasts is a quick way to relieve them of bitterness. But it also happens that the breasts turn black. If you do not change the water in time, the mushrooms will not only change color, but they can also become acidic, which will lead to a complete loss of the mushroom crop. To avoid this, salt is added to the water. This ingredient is spent on soaking a lot, but it justifies itself. In this case: how much salt to take, how often to change the water and whether it is worth using this method at all - the owner decides.
Why do the salty breasts in brine turn black?
Why are the breasts blackening during salting and how to fix it? After a long soaking, you can start pickling mushrooms. Two well-known methods are used for this - hot and cold. The hot option is more popular, since mushrooms are boiled in advance for greater reliability. In the cold method, after soaking, the mushrooms are sprinkled with salt, spices and placed on top of the load until the mushrooms empty the juice. After several days of pickling, the fruiting bodies let in enough juice so that the brine completely covers them.
In brine, the breasts also blacken, why do they change color and what contributed to this? The first thing that can cause a color change is old overripe specimens. Bitterness does not come out of them so quickly, which leads to the problem: brine or mushrooms turn black.
There is another reason why salty breasts turn black. In pickling jars, there may be little brine, and the mushrooms come in contact with the air - this leads to darkening. Therefore, experienced chefs recommend salting the muffins immediately in an enameled pan, where the mushrooms are crushed by the load and remain completely immersed in brine. After 10-14 days, the fruiting bodies are transferred to jars, pressed and poured under the lid with brine.
If after the processes of soaking and salting, the darkening of the breasts did not occur, then everything was done correctly. However, if you still blackened the mushrooms - do not worry, as this problem can be fixed. In this case, the mushrooms are washed under the tap and again pour each layer with salt and spices. Pour cold boiled water and take out to a cool room.
What to do so that the mushrooms do not blacken during cooking?
It happens that when cooking, for some reason, the breasts blacken. This may be due to the fact that for some time the mushrooms were outside the liquid in which the boiling takes place. The top layer of mushrooms in the pan was not completely immersed in water, which led to a color change.
Experienced housewives advise boiling the mushrooms 2-3 times for 15 minutes, while the first time the procedure should be carried out in acid-salt water, and the mushrooms themselves should be crushed with a small load. It is better to take not vinegar, but citric acid for acidification, which will make the taste of mushrooms more tender. In addition, citric acid can whiten darkened breasts.
- Pour water into the mushrooms, salt and add so much acid so that the water becomes slightly acidic.
- After 15 minutes, the liquid is drained and the breasts are boiled already in ordinary water, without adding salt and citric acid. Sometimes, for the zest and taste, buds of cloves or peas of black pepper are added to the water.
Having familiarized with the detailed information and knowing what to do so that the mushrooms do not blacken, you can prepare a stunningly delicious snack for the winter from these fruit bodies, thereby surprising the households and guests.
