Jeni Wright, Eric Treuille, Le Cordon Bleu

Preparing Wild Mushrooms

Appears in

Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cooking Techniques

By Jeni Wright , Eric Treuille and Le Cordon Bleu

Published 1996

About

Fresh wild mushrooms deteriorate quickly, so use them as soon as possible. If storing briefly, keep them in a paper bag in the refrigerator. Most wild mushrooms do not need washing or peeling, but check with your supplier.

Gently brush off any earth that is still clinging to the mushrooms with a small brush or a clean cloth. Be careful not to damage the delicate flesh of the caps.
Trim off the woody ends of the stalks with a small knife. Leave as much of the flesh as possible. Many wild mushrooms are left whole or simply halved lengthwise, to preserve their attractive shape, but they can also be sliced in the same way as cultivated mushrooms.