The wet method of cooking mushrooms
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Date: 2023-04-21
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Comments and reviews: 13
David
So. here's what I learned from Chef John in his mushroom burger patty video (honestly, the best non-meat burger I've ever had, and I've had 'em all):
- Start with a dry pan
- Low heat
- Dump mushrooms in
- Add some pinches of salt
- Then it's slow and low until you get to where you want to go. In the case of the burger patty, it's a good long while.
BUT, I also watched Ramsay make an improved full English breakfast. and he did the mushrooms the same way except he only sliced them in half. At a certain point, the water is almost all gone and then he drops butter, rosemary and garlic in the pan at which point (he says) the mushroom will suck up the new liquid. I don't know about that. I could just be coated with the sauce but it's to the same end I suppose.
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So. here's what I learned from Chef John in his mushroom burger patty video (honestly, the best non-meat burger I've ever had, and I've had 'em all):
- Start with a dry pan
- Low heat
- Dump mushrooms in
- Add some pinches of salt
- Then it's slow and low until you get to where you want to go. In the case of the burger patty, it's a good long while.
BUT, I also watched Ramsay make an improved full English breakfast. and he did the mushrooms the same way except he only sliced them in half. At a certain point, the water is almost all gone and then he drops butter, rosemary and garlic in the pan at which point (he says) the mushroom will suck up the new liquid. I don't know about that. I could just be coated with the sauce but it's to the same end I suppose.
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Nvenom8
You could weigh out equal masses of your traditionally sauteed mushrooms and the water-cooked ones, thoroughly puree each sample with some water, and quantitatively transfer the slurry by rinsing with water into a test tube (one for each sample. Oil should separate by flotation if the test tubes are left undisturbed, and hopefully the mushroom flesh sinks. That would give you some insights on if the hypothesis about absorbing oil is correct by giving you a per-mass oil content comparison. If the flesh does float, you would have to centrifuge the purees in test tubes and decant off the liquid fraction into fresh tubes, which you might be able to pull off with a salad spinner if you're creative and don't have access to lab equipment.
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You could weigh out equal masses of your traditionally sauteed mushrooms and the water-cooked ones, thoroughly puree each sample with some water, and quantitatively transfer the slurry by rinsing with water into a test tube (one for each sample. Oil should separate by flotation if the test tubes are left undisturbed, and hopefully the mushroom flesh sinks. That would give you some insights on if the hypothesis about absorbing oil is correct by giving you a per-mass oil content comparison. If the flesh does float, you would have to centrifuge the purees in test tubes and decant off the liquid fraction into fresh tubes, which you might be able to pull off with a salad spinner if you're creative and don't have access to lab equipment.
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CrimeVid
Trim the stalks flush with the cups cook the cups underside down for a couple of minutes, then turn them upside down on a low heat and let them sit until the cups express their juice into the cup, when they are cooked right for you, salt and pepper. For breakfast this is best done in bacon fat. Sliced mushrooms are for dressing soup or putting in omelettes, there is nothing sadder than that little pile of leathery mushroom slices on your plate, whole mushrooms look and taste a lot better. Oh and there is something nastier! those horrible mushrooms poached in water and butter and kept in the cold store, ready to go in the bain marie so beloved of lazy restaurateurs.
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Trim the stalks flush with the cups cook the cups underside down for a couple of minutes, then turn them upside down on a low heat and let them sit until the cups express their juice into the cup, when they are cooked right for you, salt and pepper. For breakfast this is best done in bacon fat. Sliced mushrooms are for dressing soup or putting in omelettes, there is nothing sadder than that little pile of leathery mushroom slices on your plate, whole mushrooms look and taste a lot better. Oh and there is something nastier! those horrible mushrooms poached in water and butter and kept in the cold store, ready to go in the bain marie so beloved of lazy restaurateurs.
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Alewort
Adam, try full on boiling instead of a water sautee. It works with all cuts and even whole mushrooms. Use enough water that the mushrooms would be covered once they reach that half shrunken size. Put the oil for sautee along with the water; the water will prevent the mushrooms fron sucking it up. Then boil away until all the water is gone, and frying takes over, just until they are as browned as you desire. The resulting mushrooms are plumper and juicier than anything you demonstrated in this video, and with whole mushroons they hold on to what is essentially condensed mushroom soup in the gill cap, which bursts onto the tongue when you bite them. So delightful.
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Adam, try full on boiling instead of a water sautee. It works with all cuts and even whole mushrooms. Use enough water that the mushrooms would be covered once they reach that half shrunken size. Put the oil for sautee along with the water; the water will prevent the mushrooms fron sucking it up. Then boil away until all the water is gone, and frying takes over, just until they are as browned as you desire. The resulting mushrooms are plumper and juicier than anything you demonstrated in this video, and with whole mushroons they hold on to what is essentially condensed mushroom soup in the gill cap, which bursts onto the tongue when you bite them. So delightful.
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Daniel
Please make a whole experimental video testing every which way. Here you demonstrate oil only and water only (with oil finish, I'm interested at what would happen if you were to drain the water rather than wait for it to dry before browning with oil, my thought is that this will achieve the desired result, if still overcooked, try again but draining the water before cooked to half size.
I also wonder if an air fryer could be a viable way for cooking the mushrooms without the oil (maybe brown them in oil after cooking. Personally I would rather not use two cooking objects, but it's good to experiment and find out
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Please make a whole experimental video testing every which way. Here you demonstrate oil only and water only (with oil finish, I'm interested at what would happen if you were to drain the water rather than wait for it to dry before browning with oil, my thought is that this will achieve the desired result, if still overcooked, try again but draining the water before cooked to half size.
I also wonder if an air fryer could be a viable way for cooking the mushrooms without the oil (maybe brown them in oil after cooking. Personally I would rather not use two cooking objects, but it's good to experiment and find out
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Stephanie
The water method is just a bit too unconventional to me. I don't want to wait for all the water to evaporate so it can start browning (for everyone saying to just dump the water - Why on earth would I do that? That's flavor and I want it all on my dish)
I just do the conventional method as well - bit of oil, just to coat the bottom of the pan, throw mushrooms in (No salt, and don't move them until they're really golden on one side. Then I add salt, it will release some of the water that's naturally on the mushrooms and also the oil will eventually release, so there's no need to add more.
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The water method is just a bit too unconventional to me. I don't want to wait for all the water to evaporate so it can start browning (for everyone saying to just dump the water - Why on earth would I do that? That's flavor and I want it all on my dish)
I just do the conventional method as well - bit of oil, just to coat the bottom of the pan, throw mushrooms in (No salt, and don't move them until they're really golden on one side. Then I add salt, it will release some of the water that's naturally on the mushrooms and also the oil will eventually release, so there's no need to add more.
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ABDLLHSDDQI
Wash mushrooms in the sink (I just use a plastic basket with holes, it EASILY gets rid of dirst etc. and you get clean mushrooms. Then I just chop them up if needed and fry them them up in a small amount of oil. I use 1 tablespoon of oil for around 125g-150g of mushrooms. Easy to clean, easy to cook, get the browning you want, cook them just the right amount. I don't think it gets more unscrewable, basic and effortless than this.
Before when I used to fry dry mushrooms, I used to use 3-4 times this much oil.
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Wash mushrooms in the sink (I just use a plastic basket with holes, it EASILY gets rid of dirst etc. and you get clean mushrooms. Then I just chop them up if needed and fry them them up in a small amount of oil. I use 1 tablespoon of oil for around 125g-150g of mushrooms. Easy to clean, easy to cook, get the browning you want, cook them just the right amount. I don't think it gets more unscrewable, basic and effortless than this.
Before when I used to fry dry mushrooms, I used to use 3-4 times this much oil.
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SwozzleSticks
I like the denser texture. I find the softer texture of mushrooms cooked the conventional way to be extremely unappetizing, even if its encased in a more crusty brown surface. I'll always use the water trick, I love it.
I wonder why you didn't try to just empty the water out before they shrank too much. Fresh mushrooms, especially the white button and baby bella variety have very little flavor anyway, whatever flavor you lost out on by dumping the water I don't think would be a big deal.
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I like the denser texture. I find the softer texture of mushrooms cooked the conventional way to be extremely unappetizing, even if its encased in a more crusty brown surface. I'll always use the water trick, I love it.
I wonder why you didn't try to just empty the water out before they shrank too much. Fresh mushrooms, especially the white button and baby bella variety have very little flavor anyway, whatever flavor you lost out on by dumping the water I don't think would be a big deal.
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ESm
Both wrong and snooty. a punchable combination. Truth. Love it. Also can I just say that I tried using my mushrooms that were just starting to go soggy by putting them in water with some other delicious savory things and just boiling them into mush with other savory scraps. I strained them, put the broth into an ice cube tray, and now add the cubes to stuff like Ramen and Asian-inspired soups. I call 'em umami bombs. They're my secret weapon.
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Both wrong and snooty. a punchable combination. Truth. Love it. Also can I just say that I tried using my mushrooms that were just starting to go soggy by putting them in water with some other delicious savory things and just boiling them into mush with other savory scraps. I strained them, put the broth into an ice cube tray, and now add the cubes to stuff like Ramen and Asian-inspired soups. I call 'em umami bombs. They're my secret weapon.
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Madra
I make a mushroom based cheesesteak in which I use a copious amount of Worcestershire sauce in the first stage of cooking, then add beef tallow for browning to finish. This makes the most savory cheesesteak style sandwich I've ever had. (I may or may not also use a bit of MSG) But I find that the sponge-like nature of mushrooms to absorb whatever you put in the pan with them is an amazing way to just compound savory flavors.
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I make a mushroom based cheesesteak in which I use a copious amount of Worcestershire sauce in the first stage of cooking, then add beef tallow for browning to finish. This makes the most savory cheesesteak style sandwich I've ever had. (I may or may not also use a bit of MSG) But I find that the sponge-like nature of mushrooms to absorb whatever you put in the pan with them is an amazing way to just compound savory flavors.
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Englebert
One of my favorite tricks with mushroom slices it to put them in a pan with hot oil in a thin layer, and not touch them for a long while. The more you agitate them, the more you'll accelerate the absorption of the fat into the mushroom. This way, they get really brown on one side while absorbing very little oil and releasing very little water, then I mix them up to get them to shrink until I deem them done.
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One of my favorite tricks with mushroom slices it to put them in a pan with hot oil in a thin layer, and not touch them for a long while. The more you agitate them, the more you'll accelerate the absorption of the fat into the mushroom. This way, they get really brown on one side while absorbing very little oil and releasing very little water, then I mix them up to get them to shrink until I deem them done.
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food
As a culinary instructor we know there are many different ways to skin a cat.
However, we use a baseline to instruct our deer in the headlight students. There are some
old school chefs that will follow Escoffier to their grave but we know there are a myriad of culinary myths. My job is really about giving them the confidence and at least one true and tried method to put in their arsenal.
reply
As a culinary instructor we know there are many different ways to skin a cat.
However, we use a baseline to instruct our deer in the headlight students. There are some
old school chefs that will follow Escoffier to their grave but we know there are a myriad of culinary myths. My job is really about giving them the confidence and at least one true and tried method to put in their arsenal.
reply
Yuppi
I'm confused, this wet pan when cooking mushrooms is not my cooking experience. It's the first time I see or recognize this event. But I don't do anything special (other than use a lot less oil) either. But on the other hand your mushrooms also look slightly different, they have brown hats so maybe they're not champignons that just quickly turn golden brown and doesn't fill my pan with water.
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I'm confused, this wet pan when cooking mushrooms is not my cooking experience. It's the first time I see or recognize this event. But I don't do anything special (other than use a lot less oil) either. But on the other hand your mushrooms also look slightly different, they have brown hats so maybe they're not champignons that just quickly turn golden brown and doesn't fill my pan with water.
reply
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