Cooking Hints
Mushrooms should never be washed until you
are ready for table preparation. All mushrooms are
grown on waste material.
Some are grown on flat beds
with “dirty” peat moss or other dirty appearing material
that they must grow through. Oyster mushrooms are
generally
grown on vertical surfaces, often, through holes in plastic bags.
Wise growers wear latex gloves and pull them from the bag
and then
trim the stems. Occasionally, you may find a little straw or other
substrate in the package, but generally, they will be very
clean.
NEVER try to PEEL mushrooms, they do not have skin. Peeling is a waste
of time and the appearance of the mushrooms
will be destroyed.
DO cook them with lemon juice. You might even wash them in diluted lemon
juice. When you sauté,
be sure to do it in butter, but add lemon juice. A little white wine may also add, but lemon juice is still a must. We recommend some
salt, but if you are on a low salt diet, the lemon is even more important. Most people on low salt look for foods high in potassium,
mushrooms are an excellent choice.
There is one time when lemon is less necessary, if the dish has a large amount
of sour cream. Even then, a little lemon may help. Vinegar substitutes for lemon in most salads and some other dishes, but even a
“green” salad with mushrooms will taste better with lemon juice instead of vinegar. Please don't pour one of those gummy manufactured
“salad dressings” over a salad with mushrooms!
