Sauté mushrooms with water seemed to be a contradiction to what we've learned about the sauté. Mushrooms in a cold pan … with water!?
Earlier this year, we tried the Alton Brown method. Waiting 45 seconds before adding the mushrooms and water. Cooking 2-4 minutes and then adding the butter. We tried this twice because, well, I added the wrong amount of water the first time. Neither effort came close to what Brown wanted us to accomplish.
I had some faith in the concept but not the method. I sauté a lot of mushrooms and slowly gave up on the idea of involving water.
America's Test Kitchen on PBS also tried to convince me to use the method. They had an experiment on how much oil mushrooms had been absorbed: raw vs. cooked briefly in the microwave. The difference in oil was significant. Again, the method sounded great but the practice needed to be effective.
The America's Test Kitchen (ATK) recipe is a considerable side dish with red wine, chicken broth, and rosemary. I just wanted to sauté some mushrooms to put on spaghetti. Both the Brown method and the ATK approach involved at least a pound of mushrooms.
The ATK approach started with a cold pan with the mushrooms and water. The water was a ¼ cup instead of ⅓ cup for the Brown method. No 45-second wait.
ATK noted that you should wait until the liquid evaporates to then put in the oil. The Brown method didn't mention the liquid and suggests putting in the fat a lot sooner.
The mushrooms release their liquid so in using the ATK method, there is a lot more liquid. I used a timer to keep track of the progress. There isn't a precise amount of time — a few minutes definitely — waiting until the liquid disappears is the key.
Using less butter or oil or even bacon grease is an advantage to cooking with water. Less fat and more money. This is not a no-fat approach, just using the mushrooms natural makeup to use less fat.
Food TV teaches us to eat with our eyes. The philosophy results in an uglier presentation. If texture is an issue, this approach can be your new best friend. There are advantages to both paths in terms of taste: the water path means smaller pieces that feel more meaty.
Mushrooms and other vegetables can taste better with improved texture
On the surface, this anecdote means the Brown method was "wrong" and the ATK approach was "right." This is where there is art to the science of cooking. The paths are sufficiently similar. Both recipes are checked over and over before hitting the airwaves (cable?). Both are rooted in the science of mushrooms.
ATK offers more steps, which can help some cooks who follow along step by step. The Brown method has a precision with the 45 seconds missing from the ATK approach.
You may have tried both paths and found the Alton Brown method was dominant over the America's Test Kitchen approach. This is why trying more than one path can help you figure out a cooking task.
You might try one path for certain dishes and another path for other dishes. You might combine some of each method into one that suits your cooking.
The New York Times declared mushrooms to be the 2022 Ingredient of the Year. Experimenting with mushrooms is worthwhile.
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I've been enjoying Mary Berg's Mary Makes It Easy, which airs on the Food Network in the United States. As a nod to our sibling blog, CanadianCrossing.com, Berg is Canadian, which explains why she says Fahrenheit a lot and has an actual recipe for butter tarts.
I can't say I love all 4 recipes in any episode but there is almost some tidbit or a whole recipe in every episode where I find personal temptation.
There are so few cooking shows on commercial television so the ones that are good need to be noted.
I can deal with Berg's shortened language — parm for parmesan — and find it reasonably charming. You should know that Berg goes really fast in a recipe and makes great assumptions if you are not a seasoned cook. Her show sometimes feels like you are listening to a podcast at 1.3 speed because the show goes really fast.
The idea is to realize your own speed as a cook and approach inspiration accordingly. A Mary Berg idea might be your jam, as she would say, but you might need a ATK approach to figure how to work through a recipe. This is a part of the cooking process. The idea may be great, such as cooking mushrooms in water, but this only works when you find an approach or method that suits your cooking interests.
photos credit: me
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