Oyster Mushrooms, Dried

The smell is that of dark soy sauce and reduced Chinese black vinegar: dark and pungent. It’s a scent that might make you eager to take deep breaths of it or toss the whole bag out the window. However, once reconstituted in water the smell dissipates and all that’s left is the innocent mushroom. Bite into one and enjoy the soft surface, meaty texture and toothsome crunch. The flavor is not at all like the smell. Think a weak black tea, bitter and sweet.

The dried cloud ear is mellower than the wood ear mushroom (black fungus) and has a black and grey appearance as opposed to the wood ear’s black and tan. Dried black fungus mushroom is useful in many classic Chinese and Japanese soups and stir-fries. To mix it up, reconstitute it in water and mince it, add the mushroom and the broth to a Thanksgiving cornbread and sausage stuffing to give it a bit more textural intrigue and Asian flavor.

Mushroom hunters search high and low for true Morels, and a lucky few have secret spots where they know a bounty will grow every year. Try asking any hunter where their spot is and you’ll be greeted with silence. No mushroom hunter will ever give up dried morel mushrooms. It’s understandable. Dried morel mushrooms have a delicate flavor that only lingers around for a short while. It’s gone the moment you swallow. Chewing is another matter. The flavor is mighty when chewing. It’s a mushroom that’s truly worth the hunt. However, some home gardeners get lucky. It’s not unheard of to buy woodchips for a garden and then after a rain find little armies of Morels springing up. These dried morel mushrooms are great for our sautéed morel mushroom recipe. You can add a bit of salt and cracked pepper for a classic preparation or toss with pasta and serve in a cream sauce with generous shavings of Parmesan.

Husky, musty, earthy, with a potent mushroom flavor that doesn’t crack the volume on the boom box but keeps it at a moderate level. We lovingly call the Cepes mushroom the Broth Porcini. It’s a mushroom that you reconstitute in hot water by the boatload. We love to dragoon this mushroom broth into a strong, meaty stock by simmering it down with a bit of green onion. This rich mushroom stock can then be added to soups, sauces, or used to make elegant risottos. Of course, the mushrooms themselves are just are hardy as the broth. After a good rinse under running water to expel any grit chop them up and add them to a Crockpot with some potatoes, carrots, and a round roast. Another dinner option is to pop them into a beef bourguignon for an ethereal take on a classic dish. Tuna noodle casserole with Porcini? Yes, please.

Dating back thousands of years the dried shiitake has been used in medicine and cooking throughout Eastern Asia. The mushroom was often ground up or used in teas and prescribed for respiratory infections, to improve blood circulation, and to prevent aging. The fact that it tasted so otherworldly that it was thought to be a gift from the gods made it a medicine that many were happy to take.

The shiitake is a mushroom that is always preferred dried over fresh. Dried and reconstituted, the mushroom has a far more intense flavor and the broth can be used for deglazing pans and adding to soup stocks. The woody stems are often discarded before drying as they’re usually inedible. The flavor is incredibly savory and umami-centric with hints of beef.