Drying Calculator
Convert fresh mushroom weight to dried — or work back from a dried target to the fresh harvest you'll need — and see just how much weight drying takes off.
Mushrooms are about 90% water, so drying is dramatic: roughly ten kilograms fresh become one kilogram dried. The calculator shows the dried weight, the water lost, and the fresh-to-dried ratio, so you can plan batches, packaging and storage. Dry until pieces snap rather than bend, then store airtight.
Mushrooms are mostly water, so drying takes a dramatic bite out of the weight. Dried and airtight, most gourmet species keep for 6–12 months; fresh, only days. Cracker-dry (≤10% moisture) is the target for safe storage.
How to use it
- Pick a mode. Fresh to dried, or work back from a dried target to the fresh weight needed.
- Enter the weight. Your fresh harvest, or the dried amount you're aiming for.
- Set the moisture. Fresh moisture (about 90%) and target dried moisture (cracker-dry is 10% or less).
- Read the result. Dried (or fresh) weight, the weight lost, and the fresh-to-dried ratio.
Questions
How much do mushrooms shrink when dried?
Roughly ten to one. Mushrooms are about 90% water, so a kilogram fresh dries down to around 100 grams.
How dry should mushrooms be for storage?
Cracker-dry — about 10% moisture or less. Pieces should snap rather than bend; any flex means they're still too moist to store safely.
How long do dried mushrooms last?
Airtight with a desiccant, most gourmet species keep 6–12 months. Vacuum-sealing roughly doubles that, and freezing keeps them almost indefinitely.
Do all mushrooms dry at the same ratio?
Roughly, since all are mostly water, but exact water content varies a little by species, so the ratio shifts slightly.