Contents
Mushroom Basics
How to Buy Mushrooms
How to Store Mushrooms
How to Prepare Mushrooms
How to Cook Mushrooms
Types of Mushrooms
The Common Mushroom
Enoki Mushrooms
Morel Mushrooms
Pleurotus Mushrooms
Shiitake Mushrooms
Boletus Mushrooms
Wood Ear Mushrooms
Chanterelle Mushrooms
Truffles
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How to Store Mushrooms
Raw or cooked, mushrooms are fragile and deteriorate quickly. Handle them with care and refrigerate them as soon as possible. Here are some more specific storage guidelines:
- Fresh (unrefrigerated): Store these unwashed in a nonairtight container, preferably a paper bag, to allow them to breathe. At the very least, poke holes in the plastic packaging, as poor air circulation promotes rotting and the growth of Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium naturally found in soil, which proliferates in damp oxygen-poor environments and can cause botulism, a serious type of food poisoning.
- In the refrigerator: Mushrooms keep for about a week in the refrigerator. Follow the storage guidelines listed above for fresh mushrooms.
- In the freezer: Before freezing mushrooms, first slice them and then place them carefully in a freezer bag. Blanching makes them tough and is unnecessary if you intend to freeze them for less than three months. If you plan to freeze mushrooms for a longer period, sprinkle them with lemon juice diluted with water and then blanch them for 2 1/2 minutes. Use them unthawed. Note that freezing mushrooms will inevitably alter the texture and reduce the flavor.
Drying Out Mushrooms
You can also dry out (dehydrate) mushrooms for easy storage and handling—dried mushrooms take up only about 10% of the space of regular mushrooms. To dry out mushrooms, use a food dehydrator ($30–150 online or at kitchen-supply stores), or follow these steps:
- Preheat the oven to 150°F.
- Place the mushrooms on a baking sheet lined with foil.
- Let the mushrooms “cook” for 6–10 hours.
Properly dried out mushrooms are hard to the touch and completely lack the sponginess
associated with fresh mushrooms. Once you’ve dried out your mushrooms, you can use them for cooking right away, such as grinding them up for use in a mushroom sauce, or you can store them by following the guidelines above for storing in the fridge or freezer.
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