Cooking with mushrooms

If you're not familiar with using mushrooms in the kitchen, there can be a little bit of a learning curve involved with getting comfortable with it. Here we'll give you some basics of cooking with mushrooms and we'll link recipes that we have personally used and like. You can also check out our YouTube channel, where we will be adding cooking videos over time.

The first thing you should know is that mushrooms cells are surrounded by a cell wall, like in plants. In plants the cell wall contains cellulose, while in mushrooms the cell wall contains chitin. In either case, it's generally difficult-to-impossible for us to digest those cell walls, so they add indigestible fiber to our diet (which keeps you "regular"). You'll get more out of your mushrooms by cooking them, which breaks down those cell walls. Some mushrooms can cause indigestion if not cooked, and some individuals are sensitive to some specific mushrooms, so we recommend that, for any mushroom you have never eaten before, you cook and eat a small amount to make sure it doesn't upset your stomach before you cook and eat a lot of it.

To prepare your mushrooms for cooking, we don't recommend rinsing, since the mushrooms tend to soak up a lot of water. It's also very unlikely that there's anything on your mushrooms that need to be rinsed off (although if you're using store-bought buttons, portabellas, or crimini, we recommend giving them a rinse immediately before use, as some chemical treatments are commonly used in their cultivation).

Cooking mushrooms generally can be done in a medium-hot, dry (no oil) pan. Sautee them until they have released their water and the water is mostly evaporated. At that point you can add your oil, garlic, salt, and pepper if you'd like. Simpler yet, you can mix together crushed garlic, oil, salt and pepper, then coat your cut or shredded mushrooms in the mixture and air fry or broil. Either way, you'll end up with delicious, cooked mushrooms ready to use in another recipe or eat as is.

Here are some specific recipes that we really like:

OYSTER MUSHROOMS: (Basic cooking video on YouTube here)

Cathy's Mushroom Broth

"Cheesy" Vegan Mushroom Quinoa

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Mock Oyster Po'Boy

Mushroom Pasta with Goat Cheese and Greens

Oyster Mushroom Butter

Pasta with Tomatoes, Mushrooms and Garlic

Polenta Squares with Mushroom Ragout

The Woods Kitchen Blended Burger

Perfect Ramen with Mushrooms