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What Is Better, Canned or Dehydrated Mushrooms?

18K views 45 replies 18 participants last post by  mattm 
#1 · (Edited)
Been chopping and adding these to meatloaf and other dishes but can't always have fresh packaged on hand so which is better canned or dehydrated? Canned doesn't leave any choice of type but dehydrated does but is one better than the other. I remember Jac Pepin said buy the white mushrooms only better flavor than other verities. I know mushrooms are like spongers sucking up what ever they are cooked in but how do you rehydrate mushrooms properly? So far never had dehydrated anything work, celery has failed every time.
 
#6 · (Edited)
how much water and how long? I have bad results with rehydrated stuff like celery, onions, carrots. celery might be better if it was sliced and not chopped, onions just never taste right, carrots not bad but these are only good if your going to strain them out. shallots also gross, the only thing I have had great success with is something everyone said not to use and that is parsley or would this be better classified as dried.
 
#7 ·
Dehydrated mushrooms are great.  I have a collection of various shrooms.  What do you want to use them for?  I wouldn't use them for topping steak for example, but I chop them up and throw into a risotto or a stew.  I also like to place them in beef barley mushroom stock.  I also grind them up and mix them with breadcrumbs for pangrattata.
 
#9 ·
I think tomorrow a mushroom risotto might be in order.

mjb.
On Superbowl Sunday!? Blasphemy! Surely you meant hot wing or baby-back rib risotto?! On a more serious note, any good links to online suppliers of dehydrated mushrooms? I really need to go to a store on the east bank sometime this friggin year /img/vbsmilies/smilies/rolleyes.gif . Dang Mississippi river, all up in my way of real groceries.
 
#11 ·
   Dried Mushroom Forest Blend, Mushroom House Dried Mushroom Stir Fry Blend, Mushroom House Dried Mushrooms Shiitake, Havista Dried Mushrooms Maitake, Mushroom House Dried Porcini Mushrooms, Grade AA, ok now I'm confused. I didn't know so many choices just used to white or portabella found in stores and what is this grading thing?.
 
#13 ·
Dagger, why don;t you go shopping at the market? Dehydrated vegetables, I just can't imagine. I live in the middle of nowhere, we have two small markets I can get the basics of fresh produce seven days a week from 7-9. Main shopping is an 80 mile round trip if I don't want to pay 25-50% more.
 
#14 ·
I'm with you on the dehydrated veggies @chefbuba but mushrooms handle this well. I've got chanterelles in my pantry! At nearly $30 per pound and available only at certain times of year I can only afford to buy my favorite mushroom once a year for a special occasion but I can keep it in dry form forever.
 
#15 · (Edited)
i was experimenting with dehydrated veggies figuring they would always be around in a pinch. Some things like fresh celery and mushrooms don't last long, had to trash a lot from spoiling. Costco had large bag of dehydrated mushrooms I bought long time ago just didn't know it took hours to rehydrate just through minutes. Since my back surgery don't get out as much but we do have  H-mart Asian market no to far  and I bet they have many choices and cost lot less than on line prices.
 
#17 ·
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Porcini and Shiitake mushrooms are very flavorful when dried. In this regard, Porcini is top of my list despite their higher cost. I never reconstitute with water, I use wine, or stock. The soaking liquid is then used as well as the mushroom. These two mushrooms are great for sauces or egg dishes. Stems on Shiitake remain forever tough but are useful for adding flavor. Dried Shiitake come on sale at Asian markets and are a good shelf item in the pantry as they are durable. When buying Porcini, Grade AA is the best. The European variety (also known as the black mushrooms) is the tastiest and cost about $50/pound. Not all vendors are created equal. Buying a grade B may be mostly gills and stems and may have insect larvae.
 
#24 ·
if I'm using them in meatloaf I'll use beef broth. I was in Costco this weekend but didn't see any then read on line they aren't available anymore, was a big bag of Shiitake I think. Looked on amazon and people wrote they found worms when rehydrating. I figure I'll wash through a strainer first then let them soak.

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-mushroom-2/
Get yourself over to that H-mart for dried shiitakes in the future, I haven't found any worms yet :)
 
#25 · (Edited)
Canned is better if will use it with sauce mainly because canned on is soft and easy to mix with sauce.
We might need you to define (or redefine) better here. First, when properly rehydrated, dried are plenty "soft"

for a sauce, in fact, soft enough to puree even. And second, the primary goal here I think, is flavor.

Try this:

Make 2 batches of a say, cream/broth or wine sauce using the exact same ingredients & proportions, except....

one batch use dehydrated shrooms, rehydrating with whatever liquid youre using, broth or wine etc, long

enough to "absorb" its flavour. (As most here know, this is called infusing.)

Second batch use your "soft" canned mushrooms.

Then have someone you trust give you a blind taste test.....and see which one YOU find superior in flavor.

All that said, the only way I use canned (in a tight pinch!) is to saute' them first, as close to au sec as possible, then

"re-infuse" them with wine, broth, or sherry, maybe a little garlic... before using them in the dish. Newly passable,

but certainly no sub for fresh or dried.
Originally Posted by ordo

Careful also hydrating with wine.
Why is that? Have I been a bad boy again? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/surprised.gif
 
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