How to cook mushrooms
Information for mushrooms in our free cooking ingredients collection.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are fleshy fungi, only some of which are edible. They usually have thick stems and rounded caps with radiating gills on the underside. The caps can be smooth or bumpy, honeycombed or ruffled, ranging in size from less than 1/2 inch in diameter to 12 inches and in color from snowy white to black, with a broad spectrum of colors in between. They can be soft or crunchy, and they range in flavor from bland to nutty and earthy.
Family - Fungi
Scientific name - Agaricus bisporus
Common name - mushroom
Cooked mushrooms are an excellent source of niacin and a good source of riboflavin
Varieties
Mushrooms come in literally thousands of varieties. The most popular is the simple, cultivated white mushroom, the Agaricus, which is relatively small and has a mild, earthy flavor. Young fungi of this variety are called button mushrooms. Variations on the white mushroom are the Crimini, which is dark brown, more firm, and has a fuller flavor, and the larger Portabella, a relative of the Crimini. Shiitake mushrooms, up to 10 inches across, are a dark, umbrella-shaped variety native to Japan and Korea and have a pungent, woody flavor. Enoki mushrooms are fragile and flower-like, with tiny white caps, long, slender stems, and a mild flavor. Oyster mushrooms are mild flavored and velvety textured with large, fluted grayish caps on short stems. Chanterelles are golden to yellow-orange and have a rich, slightly almond flavor. Porcini mushrooms are thick-stemmed and nutty in flavor, with large white or reddish brown caps. Less well-known varieties, which grow mainly in the wild, include the black trumpet mushroom, which is thin, brittle, and trumpet-shaped. Because many species of poisonous mushrooms can be commonly mistaken for edible ones, no one except experienced mushroom hunters should attempt to gather wild mushrooms.
Origin and botanical facts
Archaeological evidence indicates that humans have been eating mushrooms for thousands of years. The first cultivators of mushrooms appear to have been the Greeks and Romans. Today, mushrooms are cultivated on every continent.
Mushroom cultivation does not require darkness, as was once believed. Most important to mushrooms are a constant temperature, protection from drafts, good compost, and proper sanitation. However, in the United States, most mushrooms are grown in caves or climate-controlled, windowless buildings, because outdoor conditions are less suitable for mushroom cultivation.
How to cook mushrooms
Mushrooms should be stored unwashed in a loosely closed paper sack or in their original packaging on a refrigerator shelf no more than 2 to 3 days and only wiped clean with a damp paper towel just before use. Mushrooms can be eaten raw or cooked. White and Enoki mushrooms can be added raw to fresh green salads. Porcini mushrooms can be cooked with pork or chicken or combined with vegetables, rice, or pasta. Shiitakes are traditionally added to stir-fries and other Asian dishes. Portabella mushrooms often are sliced, grilled, and served as an appetizer, added to sandwiches, or stuffed with any number of ingredients and baked. Some mushroom varieties are also available canned or dried.
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