The Best Method For Boiling Flavorful Mushrooms

Meals made with mushrooms just have a certain heartiness to them that is irreplicable. Recipes like mushroom and roasted garlic risotto, mushroom bhaji, or mushroom soups are warm, earthy, and almost always leave you feeling full. 

For the most part, people either love mushrooms or despise them with a fiery passion. The texture and taste of those little ground-growers are so unique it makes sense that their fan club would be niche, however, mushrooms aren't just harvested for their flavor (though they are delicious) they also are consumed for their health benefits. According to UCLA Health, mushrooms are pretty good for you! They are known to decrease the risk of cancer, be low in sodium, help to maintain brain health, gut health, and your immune system, as well as being a solid source of vitamin D. For people looking for meat-free alternatives, mushrooms are often the preferred substitute with their chewy texture and flavor profile.

Whatever the case may be, whether you simply enjoy mushrooms, or are eating them for health reasons, many people prefer to cook their mushrooms by sautéing them. Tastes Better from Scratch suggests that the best mushrooms for sautéing are white mushrooms, creminis, shiitakes, morels, and a handful of wild mushrooms to boot for recipes like white wine sautéed mushrooms. But what if we told you that boiling your mushrooms is the best way to get the most flavor out of your food?

Some may have an aversion to boiled food, which is understandable. However, trust us when we say that potatoes aren't the only thing that should be boiled with salt before searing. According to Made With Mushrooms, boiling mushrooms helps to retain the natural flavors of the fungi without burning them off during a harsher cooking process. This method will also help to soften their flesh and you can add salt to the water to infuse it with more flavor. You don't have to fill a whole pot with water to boil them either. Instead, add butter or oil to your sauté pan along with any other seasonings you prefer along with just enough water to thoroughly boil the mushrooms. This way, by the time your mushrooms are finished boiling, most of the water will have evaporated and you'll be left with some delectable morsels.

Jim Bob Fuller who is a chef and chemist and also the co-founder of Fable Food Company which focuses on vegetarian mushroom-based meals also believes in the boiling method (via Mushroom Revival). In an Instagram post, Fuller says that you should boil your mushrooms down until the pan is dry, then add oil and aromatics and do a fast sauté to make perfectly cooked mushrooms. Life Hacker claims that boiling mushrooms in saltwater helps to dry them out and helps them brown faster when you sear them on a pan.