Portobello mushrooms...how to choose?
Posted by Itadakimasu on Jan 16, 2011 · Member since Jan 2011 · 1 posts
Good morning/evening/etc etc peoples! First time posting here and it's 2:51am, so forgive me if i'm in the wrong section...i'll gladly pack my bags and scoot on over to the proper section.
Anyway, I love to cook and I trying new things however one food that i've always bought or spent a while staring at in grocery stores but just didn't ever use for a reason was portobello mushrooms.
I love to eat 'em when I go out though, and I'd really like to get over myself, buy a few caps, saute and serve but my issue is just that I have no clue how to choose one! :-[ So to cut it short, can anyone give me some pointers? Anything to look out for ? Any smell that leads to a no-no? Thanks in advance!
Well, the tighter the cap, the fresher the shroom. So if you don't see any opening or flared "gills" underneath, they're fresh. Now, fresh or slightly older, depends on personal taste which is better. I personally have no quarrel with shrooms that have flared. Obviously, you don't want a leathery shroom for things like grilling or sandwiches, but if you're going to stew them or make a sauce, the older ones have concentrated flavour and the leatheriness won't be noticeable if they're all chopped up in little bits.
I usually just choose medium sized ones that don't have huge stems, and don't look too beat up. I don't think you have to be too picky with portobellos.
I would avoid ones that look pitted or have little shrunken spots in them - those would be signs they are getting old. I haven't seen them in the grocery store looking that way very often, though.
Here's a little money-saving tip - if you like the flavor of portabellos but are planning to slice or chop them, so the size isn't so important, baby bellas or cremini mushrooms (smaller - about the size of white mushrooms) taste the same but are usually much cheaper.
Look out for slime or shrivel, but otherwise you should be OK!
;)