Here are my tips for properly cooking mushrooms. Once you learn the technique, you won’t ever look at fungi the same.
Quality: It all starts with a quality mushroom. Here are a few of my favoritres: Maitake, Shiitake, Oyster.
How to Cook:
Leave space! Mushrooms need space and love to get some color. Make sure that you use ample fat in the pan and leave space for them to ‘breathe’ - over crowding the pan will result in the mushrooms steaming eachother.
Don’t shake: When you add your shrooms to the pan, let them sit. Don’t touch them until they are golden. Then you can flip, or shake and get color on the other side.
Add more fat: Once my mushrooms are cooked on one side, i add fat, some shallot or garlic, thyme and let them contiinue cooking.
Finsih with acid and salt: Once the mushrooms are golden on all sides, add a squeeze of lemon and salt. Don’t salt too early as it draws the moisture out of the mushroom and prevents brwoning!