Petrichor is the smell when rain hits dry soil, and it is also the smell of sleeping mushrooms waking up. Because they’re halfway between meaty and veggie, mushrooms has an ability to do multiple things in recipes; it frustrates some chefs and empowers others. Twelve different kinds appears visually in this story, from button mushrooms to wild morels.
Knowing them alters your relationship to ingredients. It makes a shopping trip a hunt for certain flavor notes. Every produce aisle has button, cremini, and portobello mushrooms, which are all varieties of the same mushroom species at different stages.
How to Cook and Store Mushrooms
Mild: That’s how the chart describes button mushrooms, and they are indeed mild. Use them as an ingredient to pick up other flavors. Bake with cheese; slice raw.
Cremini mushrooms is a little older than button mushrooms, with a deeper flavor and darker color. Then there’s the large, flat-capped stage called a portobello. If you’re cooking a portobello cap, treat it like a steak: brush with oil and salt, then sear over high heat. It will get meaty, and work as an alternative to ground beef in burgers.
Shiitake and oyster mushrooms is good for stir-fries and soups. Dried shiitakes gets even smokier in flavor; save the soaking liquid, which is full of mushroomy goodness. Pour it into broths or use it to deglaze pans. The softer oyster mushroom has a sweet, shiitake-like flavor that’s even milder than its cousin. Cook them fast (they curl up in hot oil) and enjoy their mild profile with robust flavors such as soy sauce and ginger.
With the wild ones, take care; they’re trickier. Chanterelles, scented with fruitiness and delicious sautéed in butter, should of be cooked lightly, lest you lose the aroma. Porcini (called king boletes in Italy) is nutty rich. Whether fresh or dried and soaked, they overpower risotto.
Morels, shaped like a honeycomb, hold flavor inside their spongey form. Morels contains slight toxins, which cook out during preparation. Thyme makes a fine companion for these springtime treats in a cream sauce.
The mushroom variety you select matters as much as how you prepare it. Many home cooks kills their mushrooms with steaming. Heat up your pan, then don’t add any oil until the excess water evaporates. Don’t overcrowd the pan, because overcrowded mushrooms produces steam. Instead, let the mushrooms become brown and crisp.
Firmer varieties such as lion’s mane or maitake needs high heat to get that browned edge. Cut thicker, because they mimic seafood; sear, then serve in place of crab cakes.
Mushrooms go bad fast, so storage is important. Because they require airflow, don’t place fresh mushrooms in plastic bags. A week in the fridge will keep them fresh in a brown paper bag (which allows moisture to escape). Use a slightly damp cloth to wipe mushrooms clean just prior to use; soaking them will wash away some of their taste. The water will also mess up texture you intend to achieve.
Besides just being tasty, the nutrient content of mushrooms is good for your health. Mushrooms are packed with protein (for plants) and are low in calories. They also contain beta-glucans, B vitamins and selenium. Some mushrooms even produce vitamin D when exposed to sunlight before eating, giving you a nutrient-rich side dish above and beyond.
Keep mushroom texture in mind when you cook. Garlic goes well with any type of mushroom. Thyme pairs well with earthy varieties such as cremini. Are you sautéing porcini? Clean the pan with white wine.
Don’t need to have every type on hand. Try a new kind this week, maybe two. Then try them cooked a different way. Mushrooms don’t always have to be an add-in; they can be the main ingredient. And then there’s that earthy smell … it’s only the beginning of what these mushrooms will do for your food.