shiitake mushrooms
See also: mushrooms
Also known as: Shitake mushrooms
A meaty, savory mushroom common in Asian cooking, with a deep umami flavor; sold fresh or dried. Dried shiitakes are rehydrated in water before use, and that soaking liquid becomes a flavorful broth in its own right rather than something to discard.
Buying guidance
Fresh shiitakes should be firm and dry with curled cap edges, not slimy or spotted. Dried shiitakes are a good pantry staple -- look for whole caps with a strong aroma through the package; the stems on both fresh and dried are usually too woody to eat but worth saving for stock.
Substitutions
- Cremini or button mushrooms -- milder and less meaty, but work by weight in most cooked dishes.
- Dried shiitakes, rehydrated, in place of fresh -- much more concentrated in flavor, so use less; strain and save the soaking liquid, since grit tends to settle at the bottom.
Tips & common mistakes
Fresh shiitakes absorb water like a sponge, so rinsing them under the tap or soaking them waterlogs the flesh and makes them steam rather than brown in a hot pan -- wipe off any dirt with a damp paper towel or soft brush instead.
Storage
Fresh shiitakes stored in a sealed plastic bag turn slimy within days because trapped moisture has nowhere to go -- a paper bag or a loose wrap in the refrigerator lets them breathe and stay firm longer. Dried shiitakes, by contrast, keep for a year or more in an airtight container at room temperature, since drying was already done to preserve them.