Mushrooms

[debbie24]

hi everyone, i'm new to mushrooms and i have a few questions. HOpe someone can help. These questions are about button mushrooms.

1. how do you know if they are bad?
2. can you cut them up and freeze them if you dont plan on using them soon?
3. I bought some about a week and a half ago from the supermarket, any chance they are still good.
4. What is the longest you have kept yours in the refrig before using.

Thanks

[BreezyCooking]

First off - forget about the big-time myth that you shouldn't wash them before using. Alton Brown did a show on this & proved that mushrooms don't absorb extra water while being rinsed off.

You'll know they're bad because they'll be slimy/black/mushy - it will be obvious that they are bad.

Mushrooms don't freeze well raw, but you can cook them first & then freeze them. The reduced mushroom "condiment" (duxelles) is frequently made in bulk by some folks & frozen. If you freeze them raw, they'll defrost ugly/slimy.

I've had mushrooms last a couple of weeks in the fridge - particularly shitakes, which seem to take long storage well. Mushrooms will last longer with some access to air - if the ones you bought are still tightly wrapped in plastic, they might be bad by now.

[PytnPlace]

The button mushrooms don't last too long. If their gills are showing they are old. I don't care for a button mush unless it's perfectly fresh and white - a long lasting symtom from my first pregnancy years ago. I like baby bellas. They are good fresh and cooked and last longer then the button shrooms.

[suzyQ3]

If the mushroom feels slimy, I don't use it. Button mushrooms have a fairly short lifespan...I'd not go past three or four days myself (I mean the mushrooms, of course...not me).

[urmaniac13]

Answer for

1 -- sure, as BC said, if you find slimy substance on the surface, that is no good. After a while, some degrees of discolouration will occur, if it is just slightly brown, you can still use them for just about anything. (Maybe not for salad, to be used raw, they should be nice and white... however I usually peel the external skin off for shroom salads, that will most likely take care of the slight browning.) If it starts to get dried and shriveled up, I would chop them up and use for sauces.

2. -- I have tried freezing them before, but the texture suffers a lot. They can still be used for sauces etc., they will let out lots of liquid along with their flavours, so this way the flavours will still remain in the sauce. As most of the frozen vegetables, do not defrost prior to cooking, cook them directly while they are frozen. (However, we so love shrooms and they are great with so many things, we hardly need to freeze them even if we buy a lot of them... )

3. -- As I mentioned before, if they are not slimy and have a proper mushroom aroma (not mouldy), they should be okay.

4. -- In the fridge, they can last up to 2weeks, if they are bought fresh and stored properly. (As BC said, packing in plastic is not ideal, paper bag or cardboard carton should be used.)

We often buy a 2kg case from a market, when they have a good price. Even though there are two of us, this delicious versatile stuff have so many ways to be enjoyed we have no problem consuming all of them while they are still healthy. Another idea when you buy a bulk of them, sort of plan on how to use them by looking up some different shroom recipes that appeal to you!

[silentmeow]

I take them out of the plastic wrap and put them in a small paper bag. They store this way for a week or so. I have also cut them into quarters, put them on a string and dried them in my kitchen. I store the dried ones in an airtight freezer bag. I love buying them from a market where I can pick out which ones I want!