types of mushrooms and ways to use them

Mushrooms come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and textures. Here’s a guide to their flavour profile and the best way to use them.

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Portobello

Rich in vitamin D, Portobello mushrooms are the adult form of creminis, immature mushrooms, eaten before the cap has opened. They get their name from a tourist village on the northern tip of Sardinia and have a rich and distinct earthy flavour. The dense and fleshy texture of these mushrooms make them a great substitute for meat, meaning they are a popular choice among for vegans and vegetarians. You could also remove the stem and load the palm-sized flat cap with different ingredients to make stuffed mushrooms.

Stuffed Portobello mushroom

White button

These are mushrooms you’d see on pizzas, in soups, or served in side dishes. Though its flavour intensifies when cooked, it is pretty mild compared to most other mushrooms. You can turn it from boring to brilliant by frying, baking or grilling with just two ingredients - butter and garlic. Whatever way you choose to prepare these mushrooms, the health benefits are plenty. In fact, the button mushrooms supplied by Kinoko Farms are enriched with vitamin D, a process wherein the mushrooms are exposed to certain spectres of light which naturally increase their vitamin D production. Including these in your diet will help you get your daily dose of vitamin D which boosts the immune system, regulates the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, and even helps to improve your mood.

Brown button

From the same family as white button, brown button mushrooms - also known as cremini - are the preferred sibling because of their distinctly mild earthy flavour and firm texture. You can have these mushrooms raw or cooked, as well as in pasta and sauces, but nothing quite beats having them sautéed and stuffed in an omelette for breakfast or brunch.

Shiitake

These umbrella-shaped mushrooms are native to East Asia and in some forms of traditional medicine are considered medicinal mushrooms. In the kitchen, shiitakes shine when used in seafood dishes or stir-fries because of their woody flavour. Shittake mushrooms must be cooked thoroughly and the stems are to be removed before cooking. Their deep, smoky flavour is a great substitute if you can’t find wild mushrooms.

Oyster

The fan-shaped cap of these mushrooms are not always ivory in colour. Sometimes they can be grey or even pink. Often regarded an Oriental delicacy, oyster mushrooms are one of the most common types of cultivated mushrooms. Though these ‘shrooms can be eaten raw, cooking helps release its delicate flavour and makes it tender.