How to cook mushrooms

Archeron

Just looking for advice of possible.
I love mushrooms, and eat them a lot. nothing fancy, just the cheapo ones you pick up in value packs in supermarkets. However, I've yet to find the ideal way to actually cook them! I normally leave them whole, as I find that the best way to keep that 'shroomy taste, but grilling/baking seems to turn them to liquid, deep frying is just a no-no, and frying in the pan makes them suck up grease like a sponge, and I hate eating stuff thats that greasy. Any suggestions as to how to cook mushrooms in a healthy way and still retain the taste?

fdevine

A bit of nostalgia for me here, but the best way I have ever had mushrooms was when my granny used to cook them on her range stove.

Basically she would put the mushroom top down onto the cooking surface, with a pinch of salt on it. If the stalk is out, the mushroom forms a cup for the resultant liquid, while the mushroom stays firm.

You could try it with a dry frying pan or a skillet......

The Hill Billy

Try a few of the big "breakfast" mushrooms under a hot grill with a knob of butter, some finely chopped garlic & parsley (maybe & a dash of worcesteshire sauce if it takes your fancy).

Blub2k4

I like to do them like this on the campfire but an oven will do just as well.
use a larger mushroom put it on a square of tin foil then a little bit of rock salt a splash of olive oil some fresh herbs, thyme, rosemary, a pinch of either or both, a few slivers of chopped garlic then a little bit of parmesan grated over the top, the mushroom facing up by the way to catch all in the "cup" then close up the tinfoil parcel and pop on the fire/oven for a while.
Delicious and all the juices make a nice watery sauce too.

dbnavan

Asking how to cook a #mushroom to me is like asking how to cook a potatoes, there is loads of different ways to do it depending how you like them.

Tesco have lovely cheese filled mushrooms which u bake, absolutely fabulous with steak.......ummmm might have that tonight!

MrJones

we useta do dat as well. pick them in the fields..brings them in wash them and put them on the range.was brilliant

fdevine wrote:

A bit of nostalgia for me here, but the best way I have ever had mushrooms was when my granny used to cook them on her range stove.

Basically she would put the mushroom top down onto the cooking surface, with a pinch of salt on it. If the stalk is out, the mushroom forms a cup for the resultant liquid, while the mushroom stays firm.

You could try it with a dry frying pan or a skillet......

Sauce

I find steaming them is a great way to cook them. It retains the taste of the mushroom and it is healthy also.

The mushrooms do be really juicy from cooking it this way. I reckon this is caused because mushrooms absorb the steam/liquid, whereas if you bake them or fry them you are just drying them out. Mushrooms are very absorbant.

Smoggy

Im with sauce, I love mushies and will eat them anyway ( even had a few raw tonight ), but steaming is my fav way.

Shabadu

STEAMING?! o_O

Holy God, I have never in all my life come across a steamed mushroom. I like roasting them meself.

daveg

Just saw on a cookery program yesterday (James Martin) that you should never wash mushrooms as they absorb the water which is released when you cook them making them taste soggy...

Alun

daveg wrote:

Just saw on a cookery program yesterday (James Martin) that you should never wash mushrooms as they absorb the water which is released when you cook them making them taste soggy...

I've got a little soft brush that I use to remove any lumps of dirt, but otherwise I never wash them either, and I haven't died yet ...

Shabadu

That's just a chef's old wives tale. A famous food scientist called Harold McGee tested mushrooms to see how much water they absorb from being washed under a tap. Answer: none.

He tested all those chef's rumours and superstitions. Only a few were true. I highly recommend his books.


By the way, if you want to sauté mushrooms, the keys are: Super hot pan, small knob of butter & tiny dah of oil, cook quickly in small batches. If you want to sauté for duxelle/paté or sauces, keep cooking until you have cooked off any excess water.

bonkey

Shabadu wrote:

By the way, if you want to sauté mushrooms, the keys are: Super hot pan, small knob of butter & tiny dah of oil, cook quickly in small batches.

I avoid using butter when employing this method, cause a "super-hot pan" on my cooker will burn the butter on me.

But otherwise....yeah.....quickly sautee using this method, quick shake of sea-salt and freshlycrushed black pepper at the end....hard to top.

jc

Blub2k4

bonkey wrote:

I avoid using butter when employing this method, cause a "super-hot pan" on my cooker will burn the butter on me.

But otherwise....yeah.....quickly sautee using this method, quick shake of sea-salt and freshlycrushed black pepper at the end....hard to top.

jc

Isn't that why a dash of oil was suggested along with the butter to raise the burning point of the butter and stop it from burning?

bonkey

Blub2k4 wrote:

Isn't that why a dash of oil was suggested along with the butter to raise the burning point of the butter and stop it from burning?

I'd imagine so....I just seem to have an innate ability to burn butter.

jc

cee_jay

I remember when I was really young my mum cooking mushrooms in milk for my dad..... I used to love it!!
I'll have to ask her for the recipe or even to make it again for me.....

SimpleSam06

cAr0l wrote:

I remember when I was really young my mum cooking mushrooms in milk for my dad..... I used to love it!!
I'll have to ask her for the recipe or even to make it again for me.....

sounds yummy! would love to know how ur mum do it..can you share the recipe to me plss