Culinary Arts and Mushrooms

CULINARY

Are you interested in cook and share opportunities not restricted to mushrooms,
then the NJMA Culinary Group may be for you! Contact them via the NJMA contact form.

Picture of pan containing cooked mushrooms

Be careful about from where you collect a mushroom and only eat what you can identify. Take a spore print to reduce risk of misidentification.

Picture of Culinary Group members Jim Richards and Bob Hosh in 1991

Culinary Group 1991 Jim Richards and Bob Hosh

Capturing Mushroom Flavors

Mushrooms can have intense, bold flavors but it is easy to overwhelm their flavors. Some of the easiest ways to miss the mark with capturing the flavor of a mushroom is to undercook them, use the wrong cooking method, use the wrong recipe for the wrong mushroom or to drown their flavors out with too many competing flavors.

With fresh mushrooms, much of the flavor is hidden behind a vast amount of water the fresh fruiting body holds. Think about the difference in flavor between a fresh white button mushroom (like on a salad bar) and the same mushroom that has been sautéed for 10 minutes.
In fresh mushrooms, the key is to concentrate the flavor by evaporating the water using dry cooking methods: sautéing, roasting, grilling and frying. This concentration of flavor is the same concept that is utilized in aging meats or cheeses. As water is evaporated from the product, flavoring agents such as proteins, fats, enzymes and amino acids concentrate, thus intensifying flavors. Hence, an undercooked mushroom will often be bland compared to a mushroom that is fully cooked.

When you have a dried mushroom, the evaporation and concentration process has already happened, but to a point where the mushroom is no longer edible in its preserved state. For this type of mushroom, moist heat cooking methods are most appropriate: poaching, simmering, braising and stewing. You must add moisture back to the mushroom in order to render it edible, so cooking methods that can utilize soaking liquids are the best bet for dried mushrooms.

When you consider the state of your mushroom, it becomes easier to decide what kind of recipe and cooking method is most appropriate for your mushroom. Another final consideration to make is to think about the flavor of your mushroom. Some mushrooms, such as porcini and white button mushrooms love aromatics such as garlic and shallots. Others, such as chanterelles and black trumpets, are much more delicate in flavor and are easy to overwhelm with the addition of strong, competing flavors. A simple taste test, by cooking a small amount of your mushrooms in a neutral oil with only a dash of salt, will reveal the actual mushrooms flavor profile allowing you to choose the most appropriate recipe.

Picture of pot, bowl, strainer and cutting board

Picture of mushrooms ready to be stuffed