I don’t doubt that other people can pass a blind taste of mushrooms, but not me. Cilantro and liver (hate C, adore L) aversions are widely acknowledged, but obviously not unique. In my defense, the fact that so many mushroom-centric recipes call for a mix of varieties suggests that their flavors aren’t as distinct as their shapes.
Yeah, I guess people have different taste buds. I would never contaminate a chanterelle dish with porcini or some other strong-flavored mushroom.
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I do not think that is the reason for using more than one kind of Mushroom. Especially if you are talking about wild Mushrooms. They have very distinct Tastes an using more than one kind changes the Flavor of the Dish quite a lot.
When I see Recipes that call for using some wild Mushroom and some domestic I believe this is mostly due to Cost. This is not something that is commonly done in “high-end” Restaurants. We usually only use one kind of wild Mushroom in a Dish to highlight its unique Flavor but can charge appropriately to offset the cost.
Domestic Mushrooms other than Shiitake eg. Oyster, King Trumpets, Enoki, Bunashimeji etc… all have a very similar Flavor but differ in Texture. Button Mushrooms ,Cremini and Portobello are pretty much the same Mushroom anyway.
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Digging this thread up because I have these choices at these prices to customize this week’s CSA box. Is there a “best value”, or most versatile here? I’d love to be able to cook once and eat twice or thrice.
Chef’s sampler MAY contain;
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Ooh ooh! Do Lion’s mane. Yummy.
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Thank you! I’ll be back to see what to do with them.
Lucky you. Here’s a link that might be useful: Fat Moon Mushrooms. In the past, I had a mushroom CSA from Fat Moon and I liked their tips about all things ‘shroom.)
If you did get Lion’s Mane, try to enjoy them right away. My experience is that Lion’s Mane are at their best ASAP after harvesting. I have found that variety might get spongy even after a day or two in the fridge. The fluffy white outside started to dry and brown if I didn’t cook those soon enough. Lived, learned.
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Love Fat Moon (I did their mushroom CSA 2 seasons ago). I didn’t love lion’s mane, though; I couldn’t get past the spongy texture and the 2 preps I tried just weren’t to our liking (ie, definitely doesn’t work in soup). Maybe time to try once more.
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Agree. Lion’s Mane wouldn’t be my pick for soup. If they’ve gotten spongy, I use them in risotto (which truthfully I almost always do anyway). I can’t escape the gravitational pull of mushroom risotto.
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Wow, I would kill for that sampler box. I love shrooms of all kind, but found lion’s mane completely devoid of any flavor. Perhaps the grower at the farmers market I bought it from is to blame, but I’ve not felt inclined to buy them again.
Same with the pom pom mushrooms or whatever they’re called. Meh.
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I love the idea of the sampler box, but last time I did that it seemed like there were too few of any one variety to plan around.
I think a few lent themselves to a mixture for roasting, but there was a scant handful that didn’t, and I couldn’t figure out what to do with them.
I think the ones I struggled with were something I want to call mucilaginous. 
. I think they were good in soup, which I am unlikely to make.
Still, I enjoyed the majority.
Ah, gotcha. Throwing them all together in a sauté would kinda defeat the purpose of being able to enjoy them separately.
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Yes.Sauteing would be fine, but I wonder if it wouldn’t make more sense to get just one kind, which would cause less.
I think it was forest Namiko that I struggled with.
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Depending on the size, the Maitake. Even though it’s late in the season for these fungi.
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This is how I’ve sautéed mushrooms for years (always well-washed before hitting the pan):
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I never wash my mushrooms - just brush off excess mud/dirt. I usually start them in bacon fat or butter, but I’ve also learned to put a lid on the pan to let them steam in their own liquor. As the article says, the released liquid will evaporate, and you can still get them caramelized. They are def more flavorful that way 
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I like to cover it to retain some of the released liquid, especially if I’m making a mushroom sauce. I wouldn’t want that liquid gold to evaporate.
But if I want crispy, caramelized shrooms letting the liquid go is the way, the truth, the life.
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I’m a major “onions&mushroom” toppings for (…various) ala steak and fish.
I start by a medium sizzle of onion half-slices in olive oil.
followed by the add of sliced mushrooms - pick a type, I’ll slice them all . . .
add salt, fgpepper
splash of a good aged dark balsamic vinegar.
add olive oil as need to maintain a “fluid” consistency
when that’s at temp . . . add tablespoon(s - volume dependent) and cover.
which I find “steams” the mushrooms to that soft delectable state.
which is why I like this method - at this point I can turn off the mushroom topping mix and pay full attention to the ‘main course’ prep
as the main course is working on being finished, high heat up the mushroom/onion mix to evaporate the loose water.
time A finish to time B finish and bingo! - good stuff on the plate.
bottom line: water&mushrooms is a seriously excellent technique to a superb ‘end product’
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I got the maitake, used this recipe
And made these!
Delicious! Serving with the these lentils with caramelized shallots and farro.
Thanks all!
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