By: T. William Schmidt

T. William Schmidt — Tue, 21 May 2019 20:40:58 +0000

I’ve been sauteing mushrooms for years, decades actually, pretty much the way you outline here, that is, until I watched Cook’s Illustrated Lan Lam’s 12/05/2018 presentation (you can find it easily with search). Ms. Lam explained that mushrooms are little sponges that are capable of absorbing oil and liquids once their own jus has been driven off. This should be done first by heating a skillet-full of quartered or sliced mushrooms on high in just 1/4 cup of water. When the internal water plus this 1/4 cup is driven off, and the skillet is almost dry, just 1/2 tsp of oil is added, the temperature is reduced to medium, or just a little less than medium, and the fungi are stir-cooked until they begin to brown. Then, and only then should aromatics in butter be added, and finally, red wine, chicken stock, creme or whatever is added if a sauce is desired, say for chicken Marsala. They are, of course, ready to serve after aromatics. And, that original 1/4 cup of water is present only to keep the mushrooms from burning until they begin to exude their jus, sort of a bridge. I have, since seeing this video, switched my cooking technique to always drive off their water first, before proceeding with the saute. What do you think of this method?

Comments on: Kitchen Tip: How to Sauté Mushrooms

By: T. William Schmidt