Mushrooms may not be everyone's cup of tea, but mushroom lovers know that there are abundant culinary possibilities when mushrooms are around in your kitchen. You can put them in soups, curries, stews, and even deep-fried or sauté dishes. Mushroom dishes like sheet pan garlic butter mushrooms, white mushroom pizza, garlic mushroom quinoa, and wild rice and mushroom soup are to die for. Of course, when it comes to making great mushroom dishes, it's all in the preparation. To make your mushroom culinary experience a joyous occasion, take a look at these mistakes you need to avoid when cooking mushrooms.
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00:00Mushrooms are wonderful to keep on hand because the subtle, nutty flavor can enhance so many
00:06dishes. Whether you like to add mushrooms on top of frozen pizzas, toss them into salads,
00:11or add them to risottos, there are so many ways to cook with mushrooms.
00:16There are a few common mistakes people tend to make when cooking mushrooms, however. For
00:20the best results, you'll want to steer clear of these mishaps.
00:24One of the biggest mistakes is that people like to wash their mushrooms before cooking
00:28The truth is that mushrooms have a ton of water in them already, and thanks to their
00:32texture, mushrooms act like sponges. That means they take on even more water when washed
00:38and become waterlogged. It's much better to simply brush them off with a damp paper towel
00:44instead of washing them.
00:45Another water-related mistake people make is cooking mushrooms slowly on low heat. This
00:50causes the extra moisture inside the mushrooms to leak out, so the fungi get steamed more
00:55than anything. That will only give you soggy mushrooms, when ideally all of the water should
01:00be evaporated before they come off the stovetop.
01:04Water is your biggest enemy when cooking mushrooms, and water-related mistakes are the biggest
01:09problem most people encounter while cooking mushrooms. There are, however, a few other
01:13common mistakes that can compromise or just prevent your mushrooms from being the absolute
01:18best they can be.
01:20One of those more minor problems is slicing. That's not the only way to go when preparing
01:25mushrooms. Some mushrooms, especially smaller ones, are great whole. Other mushrooms with
01:30great texture, which are usually wilder-looking mushrooms, are delicious when torn, instead
01:35of sliced or quartered.
01:36Two of the last and more common mistakes are overcrowding the pan and not using enough
01:42oil. Similar to having too much water in the pan, when mushrooms are overcrowded there
01:46is not enough space for the water to evaporate. This is another way the mushrooms can sit
01:51and simmer for a soggy finish.
01:54Just as it's easy to have too much water in the pan, it's easy to not have enough oil
01:59in the pan. Remember, mushrooms are like sponges, so they'll soak up all of the oil in the pan
02:04if there is only a little. That's why it's important to use enough.
02:08Should you add the appropriate amount of oil to the pan and avoid crowding the mushrooms,
02:13you're not exactly away from the danger of poorly cooking your mushrooms.
02:17Another common mistake people make while cooking mushrooms is not leaving them on the heat
02:21long enough. It is actually quite easy to undercook your mushrooms. The reason you want
02:27to make sure you cook the mushrooms for long enough is that they will be more flavorful
02:31when the excess liquid is cooked out. Since mushrooms do contain so much liquid, you want
02:36to leave them on the heat long enough to get rid of the unwanted liquid and let them caramelize,
02:41making them delicious. Just keep an eye on them so they don't overcook either.
02:47I'm freaking out right now, man. The mushrooms are turning on me.
02:52One more thing to keep in mind while cooking mushrooms is that you don't want to salt the
02:56mushrooms as soon as they are in the pan. This causes the water to be drawn out of the mushrooms,
03:01which can cause the fungi to become tough. Plus, the mushrooms will have less flavor.
03:06You want to add salt when they've caramelized and the liquid has cooked out.
03:10This will ensure they have great color, flavor, and texture.
03:14While it's certainly a game-changer to know how to handle mushrooms when cooking them,
03:18it's equally important to know how to care for them before they hit the stovetop.
03:22Mushrooms need to be bought carefully and stored properly to ensure they will be their best selves
03:27after they're cooked. The first tip to ensure your mushrooms will come out perfectly is to
03:32avoid buying prepackaged mushrooms. When you buy loose mushrooms, you can limit the amount based
03:37on what you need, and it will allow you to select and eat them at their best. It's also cheaper to
03:43buy loose mushrooms. Finally, if you can only buy mushrooms in plastic bags or prepackaged in
03:48plastic, make sure you remove them from the plastic to store them. The plastic locks in
03:53moisture and the containers are actually too damp for the mushrooms to be stored for long.
03:58The excess moisture is actually what causes your newly purchased mushrooms to turn moldy and go
04:03soft. Use a paper bag to store mushrooms instead, since it will absorb extra moisture while
04:08affording better air circulation.