This Is The Secret To Making Perfectly Crispy, Golden-Brown Mushrooms
Golden-brown mushrooms are the ultimate dinner upgrade. Whether you’re serving a perfectly seared steak or a creamy risotto, their rich umami flavor can’t be beat.
Unfortunately, many people avoid cooking mushrooms at home simply because they’re constantly disappointed by their results. Mushrooms can be soggy and limp or, worse, full of grease. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Learn this simple trick, and you’ll be rewarded with perfectly crispy, golden-brown ‘shrooms every time.
The Crispy Mushroom Conundrum
A perfectly sautéed mushroom is crisp, golden-brown, and rich with flavor. While this doesn’t sound difficult in theory, in practice it’s actually a little tricky. That's because browning—a.k.a. the Maillard reaction, if you want to get science-y—only happens without the presence of water… and mushrooms are 90% water. Not only that, their cell structures are very delicate, so if they’re handled too harshly it’s easy for them to break down and leach out their moisture and become a soggy mess.
Here's how some people try to solve this problem:
Remove as much moisture from the mushrooms as possible before cooking
Avoid adding salt to the mushrooms until after cooking (since salt can cause the mushrooms to release water)
Cook them in an aggressively hot pan with fat.
Unfortunately, none of these methods really work.
It doesn’t matter how dry the mushrooms are on the outside; as soon as they hit that hot pan, the heat ruptures their cell walls, causing them to release all their water and absorb any oil that’s in the pan. Once the high heat evaporates the excess moisture, you’re left with mushrooms that are (okay, yes) brown and crisp-ish, but also shriveled and greasy.
So then what?
If eliminating excess moisture and applying high heat to drive off moisture isn’t the solution, what is? The answer is more surprising than you’d think.
The Secret To Gorgeously Crispy Mushrooms
The secret to a plate of perfect mushrooms is actually... water.
As crazy as it may seem, adding just a few tablespoons of water to the dry, pre-heated pan with the mushrooms is the key. According to Senior Food Director Robert Seixas, the water regulates the temperature in the pan, cushioning the mushrooms from the extreme heat so they don’t burn or completely dry up. Additionally, the steam created by the water also helps the mushrooms “cook faster and more evenly," which in turn leads to more even browning once the steam has evaporated.
Once the pan is dry—you’ll start to hear the mushrooms squeak!—you can add a little fat to the pan to help the mushrooms crisp up. Avoid adding any salt at this point; that will start to break down the mushrooms and make them become soggy. Wait until your mushrooms are golden brown and as crispy as you want them, and then toss them in a little salt at the last minute, right before they hit the plate.
No matter what you're making for dinner, these crispy, golden-brown mushrooms will take it to a new, luxurious level.
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