How to cut mushrooms properly?

champignons are the most popular type of mushroom. They are inexpensive and available to customers all year round because they are grown on special mushroom farms. Culinary specialists and simple housewives have come up with thousands of recipes from this product, and it is important to know how to cut mushrooms properly.

how to cut mushrooms

how to cut mushrooms propely for dishes?

The cutting method depends on the further use of the mushrooms, often the recipe already contains an indication of how to properly cut the mushrooms for this dish:

  • for drying, cut them lengthwise into thin slices, except for the smallest ones – in this case it is enough to cut them in half;
  • for stewing, the product is cut into cubes, for which the leg is separated, cut into 3-4 parts, and the hat is cut into at least 4 parts, operating with a knife in an arbitrary direction;
  • for sauces, mushrooms are chopped finely, and not necessarily by hand – many people prefer to use a food processor for this operation;
  • if you are going to stuff mushrooms, it is enough to carefully cut off the stem and remove the film that connects the stem and the cap.

In the latter case, the legs are finely chopped and used in minced meat for hats.

If the product is planned to be fried alone or in combination with potatoes, meat, onions or other products, it is cut in one of the following ways:

  • slices – for this, a plate after a plate is separated from it with a sharp knife from top to bottom, you can also use an egg cutter;
  • straws – first the product is cut into slices, and then each of them is cut lengthwise into several strips;
  • traditional cubes, which can be small or large – it all depends on the initial size of the mushrooms.

How to properly clean mushrooms after cutting?

It is not enough to know how to cut champignons. It is important to clean them properly. Rinse the mushrooms in water, for which put them in a large container, fill them with clean cold water, gently turn them over with your hands, and drain the water. If they are heavily soiled, you will have to repeat the operation several times. You can also rinse each mushroom under running water, and if necessary, use a cloth, brush or washcloth. After that, they start cleaning – they remove the top skin from the hat, prying it with a knife.

Often, the dish involves the use of whole caps, but when washed, they crack – this happens if the mushrooms lack juiciness. In this case, the procedure is as follows:

  • dipped champignons not in cold, but in warm water;
  • cleaned of contaminants and washed again in warm water;
  • begin to remove the skin from the hat, periodically lowering the mushroom into the water for a few seconds.

And a few words about defrosting this product. If the dish is prepared from frozen mushrooms, they are pre-thawed for 30-60 minutes at room temperature.

When the defrosting process needs to be accelerated, hot water will come to the rescue. Liquid (almost boiling) is poured over champignons in a deep container. This operation can be repeated twice.

Any defrosting is only suitable if the mushrooms are further processed thermally. If you plan to cook them raw, for example, in a Korean salad, it is better to buy them fresh right away.