A handy guide for cooking with mushrooms and truffles

Varieties of mushrooms include the giant portobello, the shiitake, morel, oyster and button. Because of their high concentration of glutamic acid — the naturally occurring form of monosodium glutamate (MSG) — mushrooms are natural flavour enhancers in many dishes. Check out this handy guide for cooking with mushrooms and truffles.

• When buying mushrooms, look for firm buttons with no bruises. All mushrooms are handpicked, but bruise easily. Handle them carefully.
• Flavour develops as the mushrooms grow, so the largest of any variety have the most flavour.
• Don't store mushrooms in cling wrap or plastic. Place them in paper bags and store in the vegetable crisper of the refrigerator.
• Five days should be the maximum storage time in the refrigerator.
• Rinse mushrooms just before using them, but do not peel them or remove the stalks. The nutrition of mushrooms is just under the skin and will be lost by peeling. Just slice, quarter or chop with the skins intact.
• Cook mushrooms quickly. If using them in a slow dish such as a casserole, add the mushrooms for the last 20 minutes.

• Many common species of wild mushrooms produce toxins that are quickly lethal whether eaten raw or cooked. Because there is no feature that distinguishes dangerous mushrooms, and poisonous varieties often closely resemble edible ones, never gather or eat wild mushrooms unless a mushroom expert has identified them as safe.
• Some wild mushrooms, although safe to eat on their own, can be deadly when consumed with alcohol.
• The good news is that the toxins in mushrooms are reduced by cooking. The common white button mushroom contains trace amounts of the carcinogen agaritine, but cooking decreases the effect considerably.
• In any case, scientists have found that most naturally occurring carcinogens cause cancer only when very high doses are given to lab animals over a lifetime and that they do not pose a risk to humans.

If not picked, a white button mushroom will double in size every 24 hours.

• First it becomes a closed cup mushroom, then the cup opens to show the brown gills. If left undisturbed, it grows on to become a large flat mushroom with open gills.
• As the mushroom increases in size, its flavour increases.

Cooking with mushrooms and truffles has never been easier! Keep this handy guide in mind and try adding mushrooms to your favourite dish today.

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