How to Cook Mushrooms

Co-authored by Ollie George Cigliano

Last Updated: November 18, 2022 References

Mushrooms are often sauted, fried, baked, or grilled, but the best cooking method often depends on the type of mushroom. Keep reading for a few of the best, most flavorful ways to cook a few common types of edible mushrooms.

Ingredients

Chanterelle Mushrooms

Makes 4 servings

1 lb (450 g) chanterelles
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) chicken broth
1/2 cup (125 ml) heavy cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp (30 ml) minced fresh parsley

Button Mushrooms

Makes 6 servings

6 Tbsp (90 ml) olive oil
1 1/2 lb (675 g) whole small button mushrooms
3 Tbsp (45 ml) butter
Salt, to taste
1 Tbsp (15 ml) minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp (7.5 ml) chopped fresh thyme
2 Tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
1/2 cup (125 ml) white wine or chicken broth
1 Tbsp (15 ml) chopped fresh parsley

Oyster Mushrooms

Makes 4 servings

1 egg
1 cup (250 ml) cold water
2/3 cup (160 ml) pastry flour or all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (80 ml) cornstarch
1 tsp (5 ml) baking powder
Salt, to taste
1 lb (450 g) oyster mushrooms
Oil for deep-frying

Portobello Mushrooms

Makes 3 servings

3 portobello mushrooms
1/4 cup (60 ml) canola oil or olive oil
3 Tbsp (45 ml) chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp (60 ml) balsamic vinegar

Shiitake Mushrooms

Makes 4 servings

1 lb (450 g) shiitake mushrooms
1 Tbsp (15 ml) butter, olive oil, or canola oil
1 small onion, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Chanterelle Mushrooms^{[1]
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1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Meanwhile, prepare a glass casserole dish by coating the bottom and sides with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a pinch, you could also use a metal baking dish instead of a glass casserole dish. The glass dish is less likely to taint the delicate flavor of the porous mushrooms, though.
2
Prepare the chanterelles. The mushrooms need to be cleaned and cut before you can cook them.
- Chanterelles can be intimidating to clean at first, but they are not overly difficult to clean once you know what to do. Use a soft toothbrush or nylon mushroom brush to scrub off any dirt or debris from the smooth surface of each mushroom. Then, brush out the gills of each mushroom with the same brush while holding the mushroom under cool running water.
- Do not soak the mushrooms.
- For this method of preparation, you should use a sharp kitchen knife to cut each chanterelle into halves or quarters. These mushrooms are meaty and best enjoyed in large chunks.
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3
Arrange the mushrooms and onion in the prepared dish. Spread the mushrooms out in your prepared casserole dish and arrange the chopped onion over the mushrooms in an even layer.
- The layers of mushroom and onion should both be even to ensure even cooking.
- Onion is a good accompaniment to chanterelle mushrooms. The vegetable has a potent enough flavor to season the mushrooms but will not overpower the taste of the mushrooms like many other vegetables will.
4
Bake for 20 minutes in your preheated oven. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and let the mushrooms and onion cook until the onions begin to turn translucent and the mushrooms begin to feel tender when pierced with a fork.
5
Add the broth and cream. Remove the dish from the oven and uncover it. Pour the chicken broth and heavy cream into the dish and stir the contents of the dish lightly to combine them.
- The ingredients do not need to be thoroughly combined, but the mushrooms should all be coated by the broth and cream.
6
Bake for another 15 minutes. Leave the dish uncovered and continue baking until the mushrooms and onion are both soft.
- Note that the cream should not be allowed to boil. If it begins to bubble around the edges, remove the dish from the oven.
7
Add salt, pepper, and parley before serving. Add these seasonings to your liking before serving these mushrooms as a side dish.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Button Mushrooms^{[2]
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Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the oil to your skillet and heat it over medium-high to high.
- The oil should not begin to smoke, but if a few drops of water are splashed into the pan, they should immediately sizzle and evaporate into steam upon contact.
2
Prepare the mushrooms. Button mushrooms need to be gently cleaned and cut before cooking them.
- Wipe each mushroom clean with a damp paper towel or moist, clean washcloth. Focus on the surface of each mushroom.
- Button mushrooms can be left whole, if desired, or cut into halves, quarters, or slices using a sharp kitchen knife.
3
Add the mushrooms to the skillet. Let the mushrooms sit and cook in the hot oil for roughly 2 minutes, or until you see that the bottoms have begun to caramelize.
- Do not toss the mushrooms before they reach this stage of the cooking process. If you do, they will begin to steam, which is a sign that the have begun to release and lose liquid.
4
Toss and cook the mushrooms for 5 minutes. After the bottoms caramelize, you should use a heat-resistant spatula to continually stir and flip the button mushrooms until they just begin to brown on all sides.
5
Add the butter and cook for another 5 minutes. Toss the butter into the skillet and stir it together with the mushrooms until you think that all the mushrooms have been coated. Continue cooking, stirring continually.
- When done, the mushrooms should all be evenly and well browned on all sides.
6
Season the mushrooms. Add salt, to taste, and the minced garlic. Continue cooking for another 2 minutes to infuse the mushrooms with the flavor.
- Stir the mushrooms frequently as they cook.
7
Add the thyme, lemon juice, and white wine. Stir the ingredients into the mushrooms, coating them well. Cook for several more minutes or until the liquid has been mostly evaporated.
- Note that you can substitute chicken broth for the white wine, if necessary. The wine will deglaze the pan better and will impart a richer flavor, but the broth is an acceptable alternative.
8
Add the parsley and serve. Remove the cooked button mushrooms from the heat and toss with the chopped parsley. Serve the mushrooms immediately as a side dish.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Oyster Mushrooms^{[3]
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Heat oil in a large, heavy stockpot. Add enough oil to fill the stockpot halfway. Heat the oil over high heat until it reaches a temperature of 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius).
- Monitor the temperature of the cooking oil using a candy thermometer.
- You could also cook the mushrooms in a deep fryer or dutch oven.
2
Prepare the mushrooms. The mushrooms should be cut first before being cleaned and dried.
- Use a sharp knife to cut off the stems. The lower part of the stems can contain debris from straw or wood, and the stems, as a whole, are too tough to eat and should be discarded.
- Cut or tear the caps into small pieces for this method of cooking.
- Clean the gills of each cap by running them under rapidly moving water. Debris and insects frequently like to hide in these spaces. Use minimal water since these mushrooms are generally very moist.
- Dry by gently pressing the oyster mushrooms in between clean paper towels.
3
Beat the egg in a medium to large mixing bowl. Gently beat the egg with a fork until the yolk and white are mixed.
4
Add the remaining batter ingredients. Stir the cold water, flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt into the beaten egg. Continue mixing with a whisk until a thin batter forms.
- You can use either pastry flour or all-purpose flour for this batter. Pastry flour is less dense and will create a lighter batter.
5
Coat the mushrooms. Dip the mushroom pieces into the batter a few at a time, turning them with a fork to coat all sides.
- When you remove the mushrooms from the batter, you should hold each piece above the mixing bowl for several seconds to allow excess batter to drip off.
6
Deep-fry the mushrooms. Add the oyster mushrooms to the hot oil in small batches and cook for several minutes, or until they turn a rich golden-brown.
- Monitor the temperature of the oil as you fry the mushrooms. The temperature will fluctuate as the mushrooms are added and removed. Adjust the heat supply as needed to make up for this.
7
Drain and serve. Remove the mushrooms from the hot oil using a slotted spoon and drain them on several layers of clean paper towels. Serve them immediately.

Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Portobello Mushrooms^{[4]
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Prepare the mushrooms. Portobello mushrooms need to be cleaned and trimmed before you cook them.
- Wipe the mushrooms down with a clean, moist paper towel or kitchen washcloth.
- Use a sharp kitchen knife to cut off the stems. The stems are fairly woody and fibrous, so you may discard them. Otherwise, save them for use in a flavor stock later on.
- Scrape out the dark black gills. These are edible, but the appearance leaves much to be desired, so they are usually removed. Pry the gills out with the tip of a metal spoon. Do not use the side of the spoon. You should be able to dig the gills out in neat, small chunks and avoid staining the cap.^{[5]
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2
Score the cap. Use a small paring knife to cut a light “x” onto the top side of each cap.
- Scoring the caps will let the steam escape more easily. As a result, the mushrooms will cook more evenly, faster, and with minimal distortion or shrinkage.
3
Mix your marinade. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, onion, garlic, and vinegar until thoroughly combined.
4
Marinate the portobello mushrooms. Place the caps on a plate with high sides and pour the marinade over them. Let sit in the refrigerator for 30 to 60 minutes.
- Portobello mushrooms are one of the few mushrooms that take well to being marinated, but you should still avoid marinating them for more than 1 hour.
- Place the caps top-side-down when arranging them on your plate.
5
Preheat a grill to high heat. Oil your grill grate to prevent the mushrooms from sticking and preheat your grill to a medium-high or high temperature.
- If using a gas grill, preheat most of the burners to medium-high or high. Give the grill a few minutes to heat up.
- If using a charcoal grill, pile a thick pile of charcoal in the center of the grill, add your lighter fluid, and light them up. Allow the fire to die down and do not add your mushrooms until white ash begins to form on the top of the coals.
6
Grill the mushrooms for 10 minutes. Arrange the portobello caps on your preheated grill top-side-down. Cook for 10 minutes without turning them, or until the caps are well browned, tender, and somewhat shrunken.
7
Serve immediately. Remove the portobello mushrooms from the grill and serve as a light vegetarian meal.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Shiitake Mushrooms^{[6]
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1
Heat oil or butter in a large skillet. Add 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of butter or cooking oil, such as olive oil or canola oil, to a large skillet and heat over medium.
2
Prepare the mushrooms. Shiitake mushrooms should be cleaned and trimmed before cooking them using this method.
- To clean the mushrooms, either rinse them quickly under cool running water or wipe the caps clean with a damp paper towel. Do not soak.
- Use a sharp paring knife to trim the stems at the point where they attach to the cap. The stems are too tough to eat, so you can discard them or use them to add flavor to stock later on.^{[7]
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- Use your knife to cut the shiitake mushroom caps into small, bite-size pieces.
3
Add the shiitake mushrooms to the hot oil. Toss the shiitake mushroom caps into the pan of hot oil. Use a heat-resistant spatula to spread the mushrooms out so that each cap touches the bottom of the pan.
4
Cook for 10 minutes. Sauté the mushrooms over medium heat, stirring them frequently with your spatula until they turn an even and rich brown.
5
Season and serve. Remove the cooked mushrooms from the heat and season with salt and pepper, as desired. Toss to coat before serving.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I cook sponge mushrooms?

Nadia Siddans

Community Answer

Slice mushrooms lengthwise in half, or quarter large mushrooms. Toss with some flour to coat. In a 12-inch skillet, melt the butter or margarine over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown, gently stirring occasionally.

Warnings

If you do not know how to pick wild mushrooms safely, you should purchase your mushrooms in a grocery store instead of trying to collect them in the wild. Many wild mushrooms are poisonous, and some are fatally toxic. Collecting wild mushrooms for consumption can be dangerous.

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