There Is One Surprising Thing You Need To Know About Cooking Mushrooms
Mushrooms are meaty caps that can bulk up and flavor a lot of dishes. The flavor of mushrooms is a cross between savory and meaty, and it's this flavor profile that makes it so delicious and a favorite among vegetarians and meaty eaters alike. Plus, it's a really easy ingredient to cook!Â
Not only is the mushroom easy to cook and make flavorful, but did you know that you actually cannot overcook mushrooms?Â
In a cooking test conducted by America's Test Kitchen, a portobello mushroom, a beef tenderloin steak, and pieces of zucchini were steamed for 40 minutes. Every 5 minutes, the pieces of food were tested for toughness or how much force it would take to bite into the particular piece of food. The first five minutes revealed very little change in texture but after the 10-minute mark, the changes in texture were more drastic and obvious.
The tenderloin, despite being the most tender of beef cuts, went from the most tender of all the pieces of food to being the toughest within 10 minutes of steaming. The zucchini went from the toughest to the most tender within that same amount of time while the mushroom stayed at moderately the same texture. The most telling point of this experiment is that as the food was steamed longer, the textures of all three food changed. The difference was that, in 40 minutes of steaming, the beef tenderloin didn't become tender again and stayed tough, the zucchini went from tough to mushy while the mushroom barely deviated in texture throughout the 40-minute steaming process.Â
What does this mean for the mushroom?Â
Mushrooms not only cook fast, but it also takes long time to overcook it. In fact, the longer you cook it, the more water will evaporate from it, creating a deeper flavor, but other than becoming a little tougher, the texture of the mushroom will not change much. You can cook mushrooms in your stews, braises, and even soups without overcooking the mushroom. Â
While you cannot overcook the mushroom, this doesn't mean however that you can't burn mushrooms. It' still good practice to pay attention to what's cooking in your pot or pan and cook it right.Â
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