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Sunday, January 22, 2012

Shiitake Mushrooms



Doubtful that I'd find shiitake mushrooms outside of an Asian market, I was pleasantly pleased to find them right there next to the button mushrooms at Stater Bros.

Shiitake mushrooms are sort of funny looking. Instead of those perfectly smooth caps like button mushrooms, they have irregular ones that remind me of Dutch bread. Fortunately these mushrooms aren't crusty.


Like any mushroom, they were wiped with a damp cloth and allowed to dry before use.

Because the stems become hard and woody when cooked, they need to be removed. It's easy since you just cup the cap in your palm and with the other hand firmly grasp the stem and twist it out of the cap.


The stems are surprisingly weighty. Stems from an 3.5-oz package of shiitakes are one full ounce.


When slicing them, the mushrooms feel spongier than button mushrooms which tend to slice clean and smoothly.


After measuring out the one cup quantity for my recipe, I put the rest of the mushrooms slices in a paper bag so they don't get wet and slippery in the refrigerator.
I might use the leftover mushrooms in an omelet.

Shiitake mushrooms in 3.5-oz packages are available in the produce section of Stater Bros. for $3.49.


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