Choosing: supermarket mushrooms

You regularly find yourself hesitating when you’re once again holding a blue punnet of button mushrooms. Those chestnut mushrooms actually look a little tastier, and you’d also like to try that large portobello. When do you choose which mushroom? We’ll explain.

Button mushroom

You can do anything with the basic white button mushroom. With its mild, not-too-overpowering mushroom flavor, it’s excellent in a quick pasta and gives your risotto a creamy, subtle touch. You can also use it as the basis for any mushroom ragout, preferably in combination with another, stronger variety.

Chestnut mushroom (1)

This dark brown mushroom contains less moisture, which means that, when fried, it shrinks much less than the regular white button mushroom. Because it is somewhat fuller and firmer, it also has a more intense flavor (slightly nutty), and you can keep it for longer. We prefer the somewhat more expensive chestnut mushroom to its white sibling when we want to give our dish more bite and a somewhat stronger mushroom flavor.

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Oyster mushroom (2)

This flat mushroom has soft, meaty flesh and a tough, short stem. There are several varieties, but in most supermarkets you’ll only find the gray variety. It has a delicate, mild and slightly creamy mushroom flavor, and pairs perfectly with a piece of meat. Before preparing it, you first need to remove the tough stem and clean it carefully with a brush. If you clean the mushroom with water, there’s a good chance it will absorb it and consequently taste somewhat bland.

Porcini (3)

In most supermarkets you’ll only find dried porcini. We don’t mind, because if you soak the dried porcini briefly in lukewarm water, they’re ready to use in no time. Samuel Levie stirs some porcini into his creamy mushroom pasta with egg and sage and easily gives his dish a delicious twist.

Beech mushroom (4)

The beech mushroom grows as a cluster of mini mushrooms. Each mushroom has a long stem and a small cap. It is immensely popular in Asia, but has only been available on the Dutch market for a relatively short time. In the supermarket, you’ll generally spot the sweet, brown beech mushroom. Raw, it is rather bitter, but once briefly fried it develops a completely different flavor, and you can eat it with this recipe for soft polenta with spinach, in combination with even more mushroom varieties.

Portobello

The portobello is actually just a giant chestnut mushroom. Sometimes it has a diameter of up to twelve centimeters. Precisely because this mushroom is so large and firm, it is perfect for stuffing with your favorite ingredients—preferably with lots of delicious cheese, if you ask us. Jamie Oliver gets it: he stuffs them with ricotta with Parmesan cheese and oregano and then puts them in the oven for fifteen minutes.

Shiitake

This Japanese mushroom has a lovely bite and a powerful flavor. A plus for vegetarians: it is high in protein and is therefore (both dried and fresh) a perfect meat substitute. In this recipe for the ultimate veggie burger, the shiitake is transformed into a burger.