Test kitchen secrets
Helena Busiakiewicz on the differences between wild mushrooms and shop-bought
Mushrooms are fascinating. While you can get cultivated mushrooms all yea r round, wild species are seasonal, with most flourishing from late summer to autumn and disappearing once the first frosts appear. They vary in textures and flavours – some species, such as king oyster, make a great meat replacement in dishes like tacos. You can even grow some varieties at home using special kits, but true wild varieties, like porcini (also known asceps and penny buns), chanterelle or morels, must be foraged. This should only be done by an expert, as lots of wild mushrooms are poisonou, even deadly. You may have seen mushrooms in the supermarket with ‘extra vitamin D’. One of the most unique things about mushrooms is that when they are cultivated under UV light, they produce vitamin D. When it comes to cooking them, avoid the slimy texture by star ting the cooking low and slow, drawing out the water and therefore intensifying their umami flavour. Once all that water has evaporated, you can turn up the heat and get them gorgeously golden.
