Stop Sleeping on Canned Mushrooms
At some point, we began to openly condemn canned food. Protein-rich SPAM is frowned upon, convenient tinned potatoes are widely rejected, and attractive tinned mushrooms are ignored at best. In fact, that’s why I brought you all here today. Friends, we need to talk about the humble canned mushrooms. It’s the versatile, cheap pantry hero we all deserve.
Canned mushrooms will help you.
Canned mushrooms are something I always keep on hand for a few reasons: they’re cheap, they taste great, they add incredible texture to dishes, and by golly, they’re convenient. I use a fair amount of fresh mushrooms in my dishes, but a jar of creminis can be lost or missed after a week in the refrigerator. I’m convinced (perhaps delusionally) that I’ll open the container immediately after I buy them and one out of 10 times the batch will be slimy.
But these are not canned mushrooms. They are reliable and, compared to fresh, very cheap (see what I did there?), with a four-ounce jar costing about a dollar. Mushrooms are preserved in liquid brine as a method of preservation. As with canned food, this means you can keep a few cans in the cupboard ready to use this week or next year, almost whenever an ingredient emergency arises.
They’re already cooked
Let’s get to the giant mushrooms in the room, shall we? Canned mushrooms are moist and slimy. But think about it – it’s good. These mushrooms are cooked (steamed or blanched) during the canning process, so by using them in a cooked dish, you’re essentially skipping a step, maybe even two. Canned mushrooms are full of moisture from the liquid they were stored in and often contain a little salt, which means you can add them to a dish at almost any stage of the recipe. This means no prep required (you can buy them sliced) and the freedom to add them as you please, even when you’re almost done cooking.
How to use canned mushrooms?
I think the only time I would refrain from using canned mushrooms is anywhere you eat them raw, such as in salads. In any case, they are not trying to fool anyone into thinking they are fresh mushrooms.
I add canned whole mushrooms to soups and any dish that ends in brown or white sauce, such as beef stew or meatballs in gravy. I add canned straw mushrooms or button mushrooms to Chinese or Thai dishes that use a mixture of vegetables. Whole mushrooms can also be tossed with olive oil and herbs to enhance an appetizer or charcuterie dish.
But more often I buy canned sliced mushrooms at the supermarket. They’re a little more versatile and can fit right into a simmering pot at home with sausage and peppers, stirred into a cheese risotto, layered over a vegetable lasagna, or added to a cheesesteak sandwich.
My favorite way to use canned mushrooms is for quick homemade skillet pizza . This is my favorite topping, and the fact is that canned mushrooms are even better on pizza than freshly sliced mushrooms. Pizza cooks quickly and at high temperatures, and unfortunately, these conditions make fresh mushrooms dry and leathery. However, juicy canned mushrooms come out of the oven providing excellent texture and flavor. So on your next grocery trip, add a couple of jars to your supply. They will come in handy sooner than you expect.