First, Clean the Morels
Photo © Molly Watson
Morels require a bit more cleaning than most mushrooms. A simple swipe with a damp towel won't get the grit out the sponge-like sides of morel mushrooms. Start with a soak in cold water, swish the morels around, and lift the morels out of the water (leaving any grit behind). Drain well and pat morels dry with paper towels or clean kitchen towels.
How to Air-Dry Morels
Thread a large darning needle or yarn needle with cotton quilting thread, coat button thread, or old-fashioned unwaxed and unflavored dental floss. String cleaned morels lengthwise, knotted the thread/floss at each end of each morel mushroom to keep them in place and leaving at least 1/2 inch between each morel. Hang the strings of morels in a cool, dry place until they are completely dry and brittle, at least 2 days and up to a week.
How to Oven-Dry Morels
You can dry morels in your oven if you can set it to 140°F or less (you don't want to actually cook the morels!).
Set cooling racks on baking sheets and arrange morels on the cooling racks. Or, remove racks from the oven and tie morels by the stem to the oven racks – so the morels are hanging down from the racks – using quilting thread, coat button thread, or unwaxed dental floss. Set the racks back in the oven.
Whether laying the morels on cooling racks or hanging themf rom the oven racks, heat the oven to 130-140°F and let morels sit until they are completely dry and brittle, about 10 hours.
How to Dry Morels In a Food Dehydrator
Morels dry nicely in dehydrators. Lay morels in a single layer on the racks. Set dehydrator to 110 and dry for about 10 hours.
How to Store Dried Morels
Fully dried morels can be stored in air-tight containers at room temperature for up to 6 months. For longer storage keep them in the freezer.
How to Rehydrate Morels
Dried morels are easy to rehydrate - simply put the amount you want o you in a bowl and cover with water. Let sit until morels are soft and pliable, about 20 minutes. Resevre the soaking liquid to use in the dish you're cooking, if you like. For risotto and pasta sauces, you may want to soak the morels in boiling water – this will bring out more of the morels' flavor into the liquid, which you can then use in the risotto or sauce.
