New Ideas for Cooking with Mushrooms

mushroom spores

You might be thinking of acquiring some mushroom spores in order to grow your own mushrooms at home, or you might just want to buy the best looking mushrooms at your local supermarket. Many experts will say that it doesn’t matter that much. What matters most on the other hand is how you actually cook your mushrooms. The taste and the health are both in that, and you’ll definitely find a few surprising opinions regarding both.

Uncommon Methods for Cooking Mushrooms

If you ever saw a Portabello mushroom up close, you’ve probably already noticed that its cap is just the right size to top off a burger. In case you’re looking for ideas on how to make your hamburgers less fattening and add some healthy nutrients and protein to the mix, you might actually want to consider a mushroom cap on top of them. It really can’t be worse than the bun – and in fact, it will taste a lot better than you might imagine.

Another unique way to cook mushrooms is by chopping them into fine, tiny pieces and adding them to appetizers. The best “amused bouche” is a treat that not only looks amazing, but will also leave your mouth watering from a single taste. Mushrooms have the magic of unique flavoring that can achieve that, and in the hands of a skilled chef, you’ll find that this simple action of reducing mushrooms to the tiniest possible pieces will make them more appealing than you think.

Have you ever had mushrooms with chicken in a refined, creamy sauce? If not, you might want to consider visiting a restaurant that has some quality creamy chicken and mushroom fricasse when you next want to dine out. This meal looks pretty much like a cross between a white stew and some pizza topping, with a myriad of ingredients such as onions, thyme, carrots and celery flowing together quite beautifully and dancing around the best combination of gold and brown that the mushrooms and chicken will create. Best of all, the taste is amazing!

Following Science for Healthier Mushroom Dishes

When in doubt, follow the science! Recently, studies have shown that mushrooms can be extremely healthy because of their high content of Vitamin B1, B2, B12, as well as C, D and E, along with trace minerals, low fat and high fiber content. However, there’s a catch: you have to know how to cook your mushrooms in such a way that they’ll retain all of their awesome nutrients and health benefits.

Surprisingly, researchers have found that boiling and frying mushrooms can actually lead to a lower content of these healthy nutrients, while also leading to higher antioxidant activity. On the other hand, when you grill or cook them in the microwave, the antioxidant activity diminishes and the mushrooms are actually healthier. The biggest surprise was that, when frying mushrooms, they actually lose a high amount of healthy protein and increase in fat. So that definitely says a lot about how we’ve only just scratched the surface when it comes to figuring out how to make our food truly healthy.