Drying Fresh Mushrooms at Home

Do you have more fresh mushrooms than you can use before they go bad? Follow these easy steps to dry your mushrooms for long-term storage and reducing food waste. Drying mushrooms also deepens their flavor and makes it more potent. As an added bonus, you will probably already have all the necessary tools in your kitchen! 

Tools:

• Sheet/ Cookie Pan (can use layer or two of aluminum foil or parchment paper if don't have pan)
• Oven or Toaster Oven
• Knife (optional)
• Cutting Board
• Airtight Containers

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven or toaster oven to about 55-70 C. 
2. Cut or pull apart your mushrooms into pieces roughly 6-12 mm thick, depending on personal preference. Make sure all pieces are same thickness for even drying. 
3. Arrange them in a single layer on the pan, being careful to not overcrowd them too much. 
4. Place in oven with the door slighly cracked (open) to allow for moisture to escape. 
5. Drying time will vary depending on the thickness/variety of the mushrooms. Anywhere from 4-8 hours is normal. Flip them every 2 hours to dry more efficiently. A little bit of browning is normal during the drying process but if you notice them starting to really cook, lower the heat of the oven. 
6. Pull out of oven and allow to cool to check dryness/ moisture level. If they are still too moist, put them back and repeat until dry. 
7. Store in airtight container after cooling. Write date on container to keep track. 

Voila! Homemade dried mushrooms!