The popularity of fresh champignons is due to the wide range of their use, ease of preparation, pleasant taste and rich aroma, the content of substances useful for the body and unpretentious storage. Despite the fact that these mushrooms are sold in modern grocery stores all year round, not everyone knows how to handle them competently.
Instructions
Step 1
Champignons contain a huge amount of vitamins, trace elements and minerals. They are especially rich in easily digestible protein. These mushrooms are deservedly popular with raw foodists and vegetarians due to their versatility, while “ever-losing weight” people often include mushrooms in their diet because of their low calorie content.
Step 2
In order to avoid any problems during the processing and preparation of mushrooms, it is important to choose them correctly. Firstly, it is better to refuse to buy mushrooms, on the caps and legs of which brown spots and damaged membranes are observed. Secondly, before purchasing products, you should smell them - only freshly cut champignons have a pleasant aroma. A stale product either has no smell at all, or has not the most pleasant notes. Thirdly, the elasticity and dullness of the mushroom cap, the color of which can be either white or light brown, indicates freshness. The presence of wrinkles, shine, excessively soft areas indicates a violation of the rules for storing the product. If, during the cleaning process, the mushrooms began to literally crumble in the hands, it means that they were frozen for a long time, and they were thawed just before the sale. Such a product, as a rule, has neither the pleasant mushroom smell inherent in fresh specimens, nor a wonderful taste.
Step 3
In many ways, the technique for cleaning champignons depends on the degree of freshness and size of the mushrooms. So, relatively small, dense fresh specimens can be gently treated with a stiff brush, shorten the base of the leg by a few millimeters, rinsed the mushrooms under a stream of cold running water and laid out on a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
Step 4
Large fresh mushrooms should also be brushed, carefully cut with a sharp knife all spoiled darkened areas, rinsed the processed mushrooms with cool water and left on a paper towel to dry. Such preparatory actions are mainly aimed at removing particles of soil, grass, dust and other debris from the mushrooms.
Step 5
Peeling mushrooms is a procedure that is recommended only with stale mushrooms from the store that need additional processing before cooking. Using a sharp knife, grab the edge of the skin at the base of the cap and move up towards the opposite edge of the mushroom. By the way, the degree of "staleness" of the product is determined precisely by the ease of peeling off the peel: the older the mushroom, the easier and faster the skin is removed from it. After getting rid of the mushroom skin, the stem is cut off, and the product is thoroughly washed with a stream of cold running water, and then dried on a paper towel.
Step 6
Boiling, frying and pickling are considered the most common ways to prepare mushrooms. Mushrooms are eaten raw very rarely, and it is justified to eat fresh specimens only if the impeccable appearance of the product does not cause any suspicion. In this case, it is better to use purchased store products, and not mushrooms collected in the forest or garden. Before heat treatment, each mushroom should be checked for tainted areas and removed if found. If you intend to cook fried mushrooms, they must be thoroughly dried before being sent to the pan. Additional drying is not required before boiling the mushrooms. The best option for pickling is considered to be small mushrooms, which are quickly soaked in spices and provide convenience when eating a ready-made snack.
Step 7
There are several general rules for cleaning fresh champignons, which do not depend on the method of mushroom preparation, their size, degree of freshness, and other parameters.
1. Do not peel the mushrooms long before they are cooked. It is best to do this just before heat treatment. The fact is that peeled mushrooms can lose their original taste and useful qualities in just a few hours. If there is an urgent need to store peeled mushrooms, their time in the refrigerator should not exceed 24 hours. Before heat treatment, the leg of such specimens should be shortened by a few more millimeters.
2. In order to prolong the freshness and increase the lifespan of peeled mushrooms, preserve their visual appeal and prevent browning, place them in a plastic container, sprinkle with lemon juice, cover with cling film and store in the refrigerator.
3. It is not necessary to remove the so-called "skirts" and dark plates from the mushrooms. They are completely harmless to health and can be removed purely for aesthetic purposes to make the mushroom dish more attractive.
4. Champignons do not like excessive moisture - it takes away their taste and aroma. That is why a long stay of mushrooms in water, regardless of the degree of pollution, is highly undesirable. Food should be washed quickly, without soaking, but placing them under running water for just a few seconds and then drying with a paper towel.
5. Cutting champignons into slices allows you to make the use of the finished dish as comfortable as possible, and also provides the fullest disclosure of the amazing taste of the product.
6. The peel on the mushroom caps gives the dishes with champignons a special taste and bright aroma, therefore it is recommended to cut it in exceptional cases and only from large and stale champignons.
Step 8
Shop mushrooms, of course, are not as dirty as forest or garden specimens, but their growing conditions are also far from sterile. In addition, to accelerate the growth and development of fungi, a wide variety of fertilizers are often used, which makes cleaning purchased products an integral step in their processing before cooking.
