Mushrooms are more delicate than most produce. They’re mostly made of water, they don’t have any protective skin, and improper storage can turn them slimy and inedible within a day or two.
Fortunately, figuring out safe ways to store mushrooms isn’t difficult, and it mostly revolves around knowing how to let the mushrooms breathe.
Here’s how to store your mushrooms for maximum freshness, whether they’re from the grocery store or fresh from your garden.
How to Store Mushrooms in the Fridge
The most important rule for storing mushrooms in the fridge is to avoid sealing them in tight plastic containers. A closed plastic bag or storage container traps the mushroom’s natural moisture, creating a humid environment that will speed up spoilage.
Instead, use a paper bag, a bowl lined with paper towels, or the container you bought them in. An ideal fridge temperature for mushrooms is around 34 to 40 degrees.
How to Store Fresh Mushrooms
For fresh mushroom varieties like button, cremini, and portobello, make sure not to wash them before putting them in your fridge. Any moisture will speed up spoiling, and the mushrooms will last noticeably longer if they go into the fridge dry.
It’s also fine to keep your mushrooms in the packages they were in when you bought them. Most mushroom packages have small holes in the plastic that covers them, which is designed to let a healthy amount of air through. Otherwise, transfer your mushrooms to a paper bag and place it in the fridge. As an alternative, you can also place them in a paper towel-lined bowl and top them with more paper towels.
Stored correctly, fresh mushrooms typically last 5 to 10 days. Check each mushroom for early signs of spoilage like a moist, slimy surface, dark wet spots, or a strong ammonia-like smell. These are all signs that your mushrooms have likely gone bad.
How to Store Morel Mushrooms
Morel mushrooms need a little bit more care than standard grocery mushrooms. They have hollow, honeycombed structures that make them prone to bruising, and once they’re bruised they spoil noticeably faster.
Similar to store-bought mushrooms, wait to wash morels until right before you’re ready to cook. If you have to wash off the dirt and debris, dry them by patting them gently with a paper towel to get any residual moisture out before refrigerating.
When storing morel mushrooms, keep them in a paper bag or paper towel-lined container, arranged in a single layer. Keep the container slightly ajar so that the mushrooms have some air.
Also, since morel mushrooms are so absorbent, try to store them away from foods with strong smells so they don’t pick up their scents. Stored correctly, fresh morels should remain good to eat for three to five days.
How to Store Oyster Mushrooms
Oyster mushrooms have a uniquely high moisture content, and their delicate texture makes them prone to breaking and bruising. Make sure to store these mushrooms in a paper bag in the fridge and always avoid sealing them shut in plastic.
Stored correctly, a cluster of oyster mushrooms can stay fresh for about five to 10 days. Because they spoil faster than other mushrooms, it’s recommended to eat oysters sooner rather than later, and too check them more frequently than you might with other mushrooms.
How to Store Sliced Mushrooms
Once you slice a mushroom, it loses its natural protective surface, it will spoil noticeably faster than a whole one. For this reason, it’s encouraged to only slice the mushrooms when you’re about to cook them.
If you end up with leftover sliced mushrooms that you couldn’t cook, you can store them in an airtight container lined with a paper towel on the bottom and another paper towel placed loosely on top of the slices. Sliced mushrooms, stored correctly, should last two to three days.
How to Store Mushrooms in the Freezer
Because mushrooms naturally have high water content, freezing them raw often turns them mushy and watery once thawed. If you plan on freezing your mushrooms, sauté the mushrooms in oil or butter until they’ve released their liquids and reduced in size, then let them cool completely before freezing. If you’d like to avoid adding excess fat, you can boil them and transfer them to a cup of ice water, then pat them dry with a paper towel.
Spread the cooked, cooled mushrooms in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze them until they’re solid. Once they’re frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container. Frozen mushrooms maintain their quality for two to three months, and are best used straight from frozen in soups, sauces, and stews rather than thawed and eaten on their own.