How to Use Dried Mushrooms

They can literally transform a couple of regular ingredients into brilliance. For instance, if you have dried mushrooms and rice, you can make a delicious mushroom risotto. And there’s nothing like a pasta sauce made from dried magic mushrooms. They’re super versatile and are wonderful in all kinds of sauces, soups, and stews.

Not only are the mushrooms themselves flavorful, but you need to soak the mushrooms before using them and the soaking liquid is truly an unbelievable thing. It has all this earthy umami flavor. It is so good that I have never once thrown it away. I’d drink it straight up before doing that!

How long do dried mushrooms keep?

Dried mushrooms should be stored in a dark cool place (like a pantry). They will last with full flavor for 6-12 months. After that, they will still be edible for another year, but their flavor diminishes the longer they’re on the shelf. Once you have rehydrated dried mushrooms, try to use them immediately. That’s when they’re at their best. But after you soak them, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. The water used to rehydrate mushrooms can also be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-6 days.

How to Prepare Dried Mushrooms for Cooking

Now that we’ve had some of our dried mushroom questions answered, we can move onto the important part of rehydrating the mushrooms. What you do is to put the dried mushrooms into a bowl. Then top the mushrooms with just boiled water. The amount is 1 cup of boiled water to 1 ounce of dried mushrooms. Let mushrooms sit in the water for 30 minutes. The mushrooms float a little bit so they won’t seem completely submerged. That is alright. Just stir them every now and then. Next you need to strain the mushrooms. The general recommendation is to strain them through a coffee filter, paper towel, or cheese cloth. The reason is that there is often a fine mushroom dust on the dried mushrooms and it can be gritty. You want to remove that.