Mushrooms

Cultivated mushrooms are not only sliced in salads and cooked in sauces, they are hearty enough to serve as the main ingredient of a dish.

Types of Mushrooms:  Almost all mushrooms available at supermarkets are cultivated, not wild. The most common varieties of this fungus are mild-tasting white button, flavorful cremini (also called baby bellos), earthy portobello, savoury shiitake, and delicate oyster.

What to Look For:  Mushrooms should be firm, unbroken, and free of blemishes, damp spots, and mold.

How to Store:  Refrigerate mushrooms on a paper-towel-lined plate or in a bowl covered with a moist paper towel for up to 2 days.

How to Clean:  Do not soak mushrooms — they will absorb water rapidly and turn mushy when you cook them. You can clean mushrooms with a stiff brush without wetting them, or quickly rinse them under a thin stream of cool water. Dry thoroughly with paper towels.

How to Prepare:  Shiitakes have tough inedible stems that should be removed. For white mushrooms (called button when small), cremini, and portobellos, trim the spongy tip; the rest is edible.