Many Sides of Mushrooms

Mushrooms are a fabulously versatile vegetable. Depending on your recipe they add great flavor and unique textures. Most recipes will let you know specifically which kind of mushroom to use, but if the recipe does not indicate you would most likely use the White or Crimini.

Commom mushrooms that can be found in most supermarkets are:

Crimini - The Crimini Mushroom is actually an immature Portabello. They have a creamy brown colored cap, you might also see what looks like "scales" around the edges of the cap. They have a delicate texture and a mild taste.

Portabello - These are large mushrooms that can be used whole for stuffing, grilling and frying. It has a mild mushroom taste. Many vegetarians will use them in place of a protein for a recipe as they hold their shape well with most cooking methods. It also has a creamy brown colored cap with what looks like "scales" around the cap.

Shitake - The Shitake can be found both fresh and dehydrated. This mushroom has a very intense mushroom flavor. Colors can vary from light to dark brown caps.

White - This is probably the most common mushroom found in most markets. It has a very clean white cap and is typically smaller in size. These mushrooms can be used for most any recipe if you are unable to locate a specific kind that you are looking for.

When shopping for mushrooms you want to make sure that they are not shriveled up, or dry looking. They also should not be "soggy", do not confuse this with just wet from the vegetable spray. "Soggy" will typically have a slimy feel to them.

When you get them home, promptly remove them from the plastic bag that you are forced to use at the store. Place them into a paper bag and place in the refrigerator. Try to only pick up as many as you can use within a few days.

Please clean the mushrooms before cooking with them. Your guests will appreciate it. Remember that mushrooms grow in stuff that we do not want to ingest. Take out as many mushrooms as you think you will need and using a soft bristled brush, or an old toothbrush gently clean off any extra "dirt" that you see on the cap and underneath the mushroom. Gently rinse under water to remove any small bits and place onto a clean towell to dry.

While the mushrooms are drying you can inspect the stems and prepare for use in your recipe. Shitake's have a very tough stem, and it it has not already been removed, it should be removed prior to use. All the other mushrooms have edible stems, and I will usually just trim off about 1/4 inch. This will remove and hard pieces that have dried out since harvesting.

Your mushroom is now ready to use in any recipe that you desire!