cooking mushrooms

[tucho58]

can I eat raw mushrooms,how shall I cook them?

[brawburd]

any particular kind?

[woofgang]

Yes you can eat ordinary mushrooms raw provided that they are cleaned. They are a tasty addition to salads but be careful adding dressing as they can soak up an amazing amount of oil. To cook, peel or wash depending on size, trim or remove the stem if woody, and fry quickly in a little of the oil of your choosing, I prefer butter or olive oil. Add a little chopped or pureed garlic towards the end of cooking. You can also add them to soups or stew, I prefer to cook them first, use as a topping for pizza or toast. If you are making a traditional english breakfast, then fry the bacon first and cook the mushrooms in the fat. I understand that morels, chanterelles and the japanese types of mushroom can only be eaten cooked. I am not fond of these so will leave someone more knowledgable than I to post instructions for cooking them

[woofgang]

brawburd, we overlapped!

[brawburd]

Aye Woofgang, and you are sitting on my bloomin' arm! Can't answer any better than you, other than to say NEVER NEVER wash a mushroom!! It completely affects the texture, taste and cooking. Brush/ wipe.

[darth vader]

additional to woofgang's post - peeling them is certainly not necessary and i have never done, raw or cooked. My recipe - chop large handful button mushrooms into quarters and fry in couple tablespoons olive oil along with 2-3 garlic cloves crushed, for a couple of minutes until mushrooms go soft (but not browned). add 1 small handful of pine nuts and continue cooking for 1 minute. add 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and about 0.5 glass white wine (dry) and bring to boil, cook for 1 more minute and serve immediately with crusty bread (and a few other tapas perhaps?)

[woofgang]

I peel the big ones because mr Woofgang is picky. I wash the littluns that I can't be bothered to brush or wipe. Provided you do it quickly and cook immediately, I defy you to tell the difference!!

[ken c]

have you seen what they grow them in I always peel them

[woofgang]

that's what mr Woofgang says!!!

[quattro]

I would just like to add that if the mushrooms are field mushrooms picked from the wild not bought in a shop , you can get small maggots in them you can check for them by pulling the stalks of where you should be able to see the holes made by them .

[darth vader]

so? it's just a bit of protein :-)

[poadster]

You do realise that once you've cooked them they won't be raw? You could experiment with boiled ham and eat it raw, but it's risky.