🍳 Mushroom cooking crimes ranked by how much they hurt to witness
Washing them under running water.
They are 90% water. You are adding water to water. You are making a wet sponge that will steam instead of sear. Use a brush. Or a dry cloth.
Crowding the pan.
One layer. High heat. Space between each piece. The moment they touch, they steam. Steamed mushrooms taste like wet paper.
Adding salt too early.
Salt draws moisture. Moisture = steam. Steam = no crust. Add salt after the colour appears. Never before.
Cooking on low heat.
Mushrooms need violence. Screaming hot pan. Butter or clarified butter. Hear it. The crust is where the flavour lives.
Slicing lion's mane.
You tear it. Always. Slicing destroys the texture. Tear into steaks, press flat, don't touch for two full minutes.
Throwing away shiitake stems.
Too tough to eat but they make the deepest mushroom stock you've ever tasted. Freeze them. Use them.
Eating them raw.
Almost all mushrooms contain chitin and mild toxins that cooking breaks down. Raw: low nutrition, potential stomach upset. Cooked: full nutrition, full flavour.
Which one are you guilty of? Be honest. 🍳
#MycelNet #Mushroom #CookingTips #Fungi #Mushroom #Foraging #FoodScience
