My old head chef told me to never salt mushrooms until the end

I mean, he was super firm about it, said it draws out water and makes them steam instead of sear. I followed that for years, cooking them in a hot pan with just oil. Then a new sous in our Portland spot showed me his method: salt them right at the start. Tried it last week and they got this amazing, crispy crust I never got before. Has anyone else switched up their mushroom method and seen a big difference?

2 comments

2 Comments

noranguyen10d agoTop Commenter

My buddy had the same exact thing happen. He always salted late, then his new roommate showed him the early salt trick. Now his mushrooms are way crispier.

barbaraw1610d ago

Wait, you were cooking them in just oil? No butter at all? That's the real shocker for me. I always start with a mix, the butter gives flavor and the oil keeps it from burning. Salting early makes sense if your pan is screaming hot.