Mushrooms are a surprisingly versatile ingredient — they make their way into our breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Their culinary possibilities are seemingly endless. Mushrooms are mostly water, but they contain powerful flavor compounds—ranging from earthy and peppery to cinnamonish and sweet—that enhance other foods.
Nutritional Benefits
Mushrooms are not only delicious, but they also have many health benefits. They are a good source of B vitamins, antioxidants like selenium, and minerals like potassium. Mushrooms are also a good source of riboflavin and niacin and contain no fat or cholesterol.
Safety
Buying mushrooms at the grocery store is the safest way to obtain mushrooms. Some wild mushrooms are poisonous. Mushrooms are available in dried and canned forms, too.
Varieties
Mushrooms are available in a wide range of sizes, shapes, textures, and colors. In fact, more than 38,000 different varieties of mushrooms exist. White button mushrooms account for 90 percent of the mushrooms consumed in the U.S.
There are numerous varieties of mushrooms to become acquainted with, so it might be time to move beyond the button mushrooms! Taste-wise, white, cremini, shiitake, and portobello mushrooms have woodsy, meaty, or earthy tastes, while oyster, king oyster, and enoki mushrooms are more mild and delicate.
Types of Mushrooms
Chanterelle
Prized for a fruity aroma, chanterelles range from yellow, orange, and brown to pale white or black. While tender, the texture is firm and not crumbly.
Cremini
Similar to white mushrooms but with a firmer texture and deeper flavor, creminis are actually immature portobellos. They are sometimes sold as “baby bella” mushrooms.
Enoki
The enoki is grown as a cluster of small white-capped, long-stemmed mushrooms. They can be eaten raw or lightly cooked.
Oyster
Velvety and trumpet-shaped oyster mushrooms have delicate brown, gray, or reddish caps on gray-white stems.
Portobello
Up to 6 inches across, portobellos have a big, steak-like taste and texture. They are ideal for grilling or baking.
Shiitake
With meaty tan to dark-brown umbrella-like caps, shiitakes have a distinctively smoky flavor and taste best when cooked.
Selecting
Look for plump, firm, smooth-looking mushrooms whose surfaces are dry but not dried out. Tightly closed gills indicate a younger, fresher mushroom with a milder flavor. Those with open gills have a richer, more developed flavor but a shorter shelf life.
Storing
It is best to store mushrooms whole and unpeeled in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge. Refrigerated fresh whole mushrooms last 7 to 10 days; refrigerated fresh sliced mushrooms last 5 to 7 days; refrigerated cooked mushrooms will last 7 days.
Large whole mushrooms last slightly longer because they have less exposed surfaces. You can usually tell by feeling if your mushrooms have gone bad as they develop a sticky/slimy surface and get darker in color. Once this starts, it quickly destroys them. When mushrooms have gone bad, they should not be eaten.
To freeze mushrooms, they need to be cooked first and placed in freezer-safe containers. There are two methods of precooking mushrooms for freezing. One way is simply to freeze a dish made with mushrooms.
The other is to sauté the mushrooms before transferring them to a freezer container. Once cooked, cool them and then package them for the freezer. Frozen mushrooms defrost very quickly. Add them to your recipe while still frozen.
Preparation
Brush the dirt off the mushrooms with a damp paper towel or your fingers. Alternatively, use a pastry or mushroom brush and dust the dirt from the mushrooms. Dirtier ones can be rinsed quickly in cold water and then patted dry; don’t soak them because they absorb moisture. For button mushrooms, trim the stem end. For shiitake mushrooms, remove the stem. Most portabellas have very little stem attached. To stuff mushrooms, the stem is removed.
All mushrooms are extremely versatile. They can be served raw or cooked and go well with most seasonings. Mushrooms can be prepared in a variety of techniques. They can be braised, breaded, fried, grilled, roasted, sautéed, or stuffed. Below are three methods for cooking mushrooms:
Stewed
Use this method to cook stems cut in pieces or in preparation for soups and sauces.
- Place prepared pieces in pot; add about 1/4 cup of boiling water, cover pot tightly and simmer gently for about 6 to 8 minutes; season with salt, pepper, and butter after stewing and use as desired.
Sautéed
- Coat a large, heavy skillet with oil or butter on medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add just one layer of mushrooms and allow them to cook for 2 minutes without stirring. Flip them over to brown on the other side. Push them to the side of the pan and add more. Continue this process until all the mushrooms are browned and the liquid has evaporated. Remove the ones that are well browned if necessary, keeping them warm, and then add them back to the pan to reheat and add seasonings before serving.
Broiled
- Choose very large mushrooms; after preparing, brush with vegetable oil or soft fat, and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper; place on hot greased broiler, cap side up, and place broiling pan 3 inches below top heat of oven; broil in oven pre-heated and broil for about 8 minutes; very large ones may take 10 minutes.
Fresh mushrooms are truly a cook’s best friend. Whether you need just a little something to dress a dish up or add a completely new dimension of flavor, your answer is mushrooms.
Written by Vicki Hayman, MS, University of Wyoming Extension Nutrition and Food Safety Educator
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