Don’t panic.
I’m not going to start A-PALOOZing everything.
However...
I recently came into possession of 10 pounds of white button mushrooms... dismissed by food snobs everywhere as the “iceberg lettuce” of the mushroom world. A few thoughts...
1) Sometimes both iceberg and white buttons are right, proper, and perfect.
2) The only food you can’t use is spoiled food. Use some imagination.
3) There are perks to be discovered in almost all situations... look for them!
As I said, these mushrooms presented themselves to me... I could not say no. So for the next few posts, it’s going to be all mushrooms, all of the time.
Now I have heard, though I have trouble believing such perversion, that there are people who will not, under any circumstances, eat mushrooms. As it’s 2015, and I consider myself an enlightened and tolerant individual, I will refrain from quoting chapter and verse as to why this “lifestyle” is so very very wrong and disturbing. I will just say that what you do in private is your business but, please, for the sake of the children, don’t parade your lifestyle in public. And don’t attempt to sway others to your “agenda.”
The first hurdle to be overcome was... cleaning.
I know you’ve all heard that you must never ever, on pain of death, wash mushrooms. Balderdash, I say. Don’t soak them for hours, but if they’re really dirty, rinse them quickly, dry them in a salad spinner, and cook them soon.
You’ll be fine.
And if they aren’t really dirty, just wipe the few specks of dirt off with a paper towel. And by the way, it’s not actually dirt. It’s just a sterile “potting-type medium.” Eating it isn’t going to kill you. But the gritty texture is not fun.