What to cook mushrooms with so that they do not darken and retain their taste

There is, perhaps, no product that could compete with real forest mushrooms. This creation of nature prevents Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, atherosclerosis and even diabetes. In addition to excellent taste, properly prepared mushrooms contain a huge amount of vitamins, enzymes, fatty acids and even essential oils.

They have more protein than the same meat. Great, isn’t it? But in order for wild mushrooms to turn out truly tasty and healthy, it is important to prepare them correctly. Also, during cooking, you need to add one ingredient that will prevent them from darkening. How much and with what cook mushrooms tells Editorial “With Taste”.

What to cook mushrooms with to prevent them from darkening

During cooking, wild mushrooms often darken, losing their natural shade. This affects the final result, which, of course, will upset any housewife. But experienced chefs know one trick that helps correct this situation.

First, you need to boil the mushrooms. The first time they are cooked with citric acid. This product allows the mushrooms not to darken and retain their natural color.

A large pan usually requires at least 2 tbsp. lemon powder. Cook mushrooms with citric acid for 10–15 minutes. At the same time, they should float freely around the pan. You should not replace acid with vinegar, as this will have absolutely no effect.

Important: There is no need to add citric acid during the second cooking. In general, to get rid of excess bitterness, mushrooms are boiled three times.

How to properly cook mushrooms

To avoid poisoning, almost all wild mushrooms are soaked and boiled before frying. They should be cooked no more than 25 minutes after boiling. Milk mushrooms and russula are cooked for an average of 5 minutes, boletus – 7, and porcini mushrooms and boletuses – about 10. Morels are boiled in salted water for up to 15 minutes, and chanterelles – 20 minutes. After boiling, the mushrooms should be washed with cold boiled water.

By the way, did you know that large mushrooms cook faster than small ones? To prevent this natural product from losing its distinctive taste and aroma, it is better to cook it over medium heat. Readiness is checked simply – raw mushrooms float, and ready mushrooms settle to the bottom.

How to pick mushrooms correctly

• Cut off all mushrooms with the stem to ensure that there is no filmy ring characteristic of toadstool and other poisonous mushrooms.
• When picking mushrooms in the forest, use a wicker basket. Try not to take the bucket. A backpack or plastic bag is absolutely not suitable. This way the mushrooms can crumble and soon spoil.
• Do not taste any raw mushrooms.
• Do not touch flabby, old or wormy fruits.
• Do not pick mushrooms along highways, near factories and enterprises. In such places, all plants accumulate harmful metals.

Tips after picking mushrooms

1. When you bring mushrooms home, pick them right away. Try not to store them for a long time, especially in rainy or humid weather.
2. Unprocessed mushrooms can be stored in the refrigerator or in a cool place for up to 2 days.
3. To get rid of worms in freshly picked mushrooms, you need to immerse them in highly salted water for a couple of hours. After that, rinse.

If you are going to dry the mushrooms, you do not need to wash them first. It is enough to clean them of debris, trim the roots and separate the caps from the legs. It is better to cut mushrooms that are too large in half. The basic preparation of dried mushrooms is that they are washed, doused with boiling water and soaked in cold water for at least 4 hours. And here, how to make flavorful mushroom gravycan be read here.