Patience is not always my strong suit, I’m the first to admit it When cooking mushrooms taking your time is KEY. Here are a few tips on how to cook the perfect mushroom to taste rich and meaty.
Keep them dry. If you notice any dirt on the mushrooms, use a slightly damp paper towel to wipe it off. Don’t submerge them in water or rinse them.
Mushrooms act like a sponge so water will be absorbed, which causes the final cooked mushrooms to be squeaky instead of flavorful and browned. (If your mushrooms are extremely dirty, you can quickly dunk them into some water, but make sure you pat them extra dry before cooking them.) If you do happen to submerge them in water add an extra minute or two to the cooking time
Keep them a similar size. If you are using a variety of mushrooms, cut — or if they are more fragile — tear the mushrooms so that they are all a similar size. If they are not the same size they will have different cooking times.
Don’t crowd mushrooms in the pan. If you pile raw mushrooms up on top of each other in a pan, they will steam. Instead, spread them out so that they are only just touching one another. You want the surface area to touch the hot pan.
Do not salt at the beginning of cooking. I know this seems odd, but mushrooms are one of the only things I salt towards the end of cooking. Salt brings out moisture, which in the case of mushrooms, prevents them from browning in the pan.
Use a heavy skillet if possible. When it comes to cooking mushrooms on the stove, use a wide heavy skillet — I love my cast iron pan! When the pan is hot, throw in the mushrooms and spread them into one layer.
Allow the mushrooms to brown before adding salt and seasonings – Resist touching them! Let them sit undisturbed. When they are brown, flip them and let them brown on the second side. When both sides are brown, and the mushrooms have shrunk in size, add a little flavour — salt and any other seasoning you love. This should take around 2-3mins. A little bit of patience will pay off with mouth-watering mushrooms everyone will compliment.
Add mushrooms to some of my favorite recipes like A Vegan Omelette, Vegan Mushroom French Dip and Creamy Vegan Mushroom Soup.
