Browning mushrooms
Mushrooms are about 90 percent water. In a hot pan they release it first and sweat, and they only brown once the pan is nearly dry. Give them one layer and 8 to 10 minutes. Crowd the pan and they steam and stay gray.
Start in a dry pan
Start sliced mushrooms in a hot, dry pan, in one layer. After 4 to 5 minutes the liquid cooks off and the pan looks dry. Then add butter or oil and cook 3 to 4 minutes more until deep brown. Salt at the end.
Test yourself
Questions from the interactive lesson, with the answer and the why.
You cook 500 g (1 lb) of mushrooms and end up with a small pile. Where did most of the weight go?
Water left as liquid and steam. Mushrooms are about 90 percent water, so they shrink to a fraction.
True or false: Salting mushrooms as soon as they hit the pan makes them release their water faster.
True. Salt pulls water out of the mushroom, so it speeds up the sweating stage.
What went wrong? You pile a big batch of mushrooms into a small pan with oil. The slices come out gray and watery.
The crowded pan made them steam. Crowding traps steam and keeps the pan wet. Use a wide pan and one layer.
Fill the blank: Mushrooms taste meaty and savory mainly because they contain natural ___.
Mushrooms taste meaty and savory mainly because they contain natural glutamates. Glutamate is the compound behind the savory umami taste.
Your mushrooms are covered in dirt. What's the best way to clean them?
Brush or wipe them, or rinse quickly and pat dry. Dirt comes off fast, and drying them keeps the pan from steaming.
Mushrooms: dry pan vs oil first
Water out, then brown.
Do the 20-minute experiment
