Mushrooms — Distinct Flavors and Distinct Purposes

Mushrooms are considered one of the best health-promoting foods there is. Were you aware there are several different varieties of mushrooms? All we’d ever had at our house growing up were the canned white button mushrooms. And when I began cooking for my own family, I just stuck with what I knew best, the white button mushroom (although I did branch out a smidge and buy them fresh from time to time).

Then as my cooking prowess developed a little more, I branched out even further to include crimini and portabella in my repertoire. And I’ve heard of shiitake and always wanted to try them.

Each variety has its own distinct flavor and therefore is best suited to certain purposes. If you like cooking with mushrooms, then you’ll appreciate this information found on the very helpful site, Fresh Mushrooms (www.mushroominfo.com)

When it comes to flavor, they have a fairly mild taste and blend well with almost anything. Their flavor intensifies when cooked. And for cooking, they can be sautéed, steamed, pan fried, baked, or broiled. And they’re wonderful in raw salads. A serving of 4 or 5 good sized mushrooms is only 18 calories, 0 grams of fat, and just 3 grams of carbohydrates. They’re a great source of selenium, riboflavin (a B vitamin), niacin and pantothentic acid, and copper. And they have almost 300 mg of potassium per serving, as well as 2.8 mg of the antioxidant ergothioneine and a good amoung of vitamin D.

Their flavor is deeper and earthier than the white button mushrooms. They can be prepared all the ways the white buttons can, and their full-bodied taste makes them an excellent addition to beef and vegetable dishes. Four to 5 crimini mushrooms, like white buttons, have no fat, about 4 grams of carbohydrates, and only 23 calories. They have a nutritional make-up like white buttons, but in addition, they’re a great source of potassium and phosphorus.

This mushroom has a deep, meat-like texture and flavor. Thus it’s a favorite with vegetarians—they grill well as a substitute for ground beef when making the traditional hamburger. Like white buttons and crimini, they can be prepared all sorts of ways, and their nutritional make-up is just about the same.

Maitake have a dinstinctive aroma and a rich, woodsy taste. They are delicious when lightly sautéed in butter or olive oil. This is the mushroom of choice when a richer taste is wanted in a dish. They’re often the main ingredient in side dishes and soups. Four to 5 of these yield 31 calories, 6 grams of carbohydrates and 0 fat. They have the same nutritional profile as the white buttons, crimini, and portabella, but they also boast more than 2 grams of fiber—nearly 10% of the daily recommended allowance.

These also have a meaty texture and are rich and woodsy when cooked. They’re not the best raw—they taste best when cooked in stir-fry, pastas, soups, entrees, and sides. Four to 5 of these gives 41 calories, 10 grams of carbohydrates, and no fat. They contain the same vitamins and minerals as the mushrooms above.

These are crunchy and mild tasting. Roots must be trimmed off before using. Stems need to be separated before serving. They’re great raw in salads, on sandwiches, and they’re good in soups. Enoki are nutrient packed like they’re cousins above, but they boast more than 300 mg of potassium per serving.

Oysters have a very delicate flavor and do best when sautéed with butter and onions to bring out their flavor. A favorite use is to serve them over linguine with sliced steak, red peppers, and grated Parmesan cheese. They have nearly the same nutritional make up as the other mushrooms, but 4 to 5 oysters provide 36 calories and nearly 3 grams of protein.

The beech mushroom is crunchy with a delicately mild flavor that is sweet and deliciously nutty. They’re a perfect compliment to chicken or fish dishes and go well with vegetables, soups, stews, gravies, and in stir-fry. They should be added last to anything when cooking with them so as to maintain their crisp texture. Their nutritional profile is much the same as the other mushrooms.

    Alice Osborne
    Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
    Email the author! alice@dvo.com