Properly storing mushrooms is important to prevent them from rotting. Store-bought mushrooms can be left in their packaging in the fridge for up to a week, while new mushrooms should be stored in a paper bag to absorb excess moisture. Mushrooms should be stored whole and away from strong-smelling foods. Pickled or dried mushrooms can last almost indefinitely.
Mushrooms are the fruits formed by underground fungi, many of which are edible. Chefs prize mushrooms for their unique flavors, rich textures, and versatility. If you don’t store mushrooms properly, however, they can rot and become unappetizing.
How you want to store mushrooms depends largely on how you received them. To some extent it may also depend on the actual type of mushroom, but most mushroom species are stored in approximately the same way.
Many store-bought mushrooms will be packaged when you receive them. They are often in a styrofoam tray, covered in some sort of plastic wrap. You can simply leave them in their store-bought packaging, which is designed for storing mushrooms. Put them in your fridge, somewhere out of the container, and you should be fine. Prepackaged mushrooms can last about a week or so without being damaged, as long as they are unopened. Once opened, follow the instructions for storing mushrooms purchased in bulk, if you don’t use them all at once.
If you’re trying to store mushrooms that you bought new, we recommend placing them in a paper bag. The paper bag will absorb excess moisture from the mushrooms, rather than letting it build up inside to rot the mushrooms, which will happen with a plastic bag. Because the bag can get wet, some people prefer to use a two-bag technique for storing mushrooms. First place the loose mushrooms in a paper bag, fold over the top, then place that paper bag back in a lightly perforated plastic bag.
Store the entire bag in the refrigerator, but do not place it in the crisper drawer. You want the mushrooms to stay cold, but you always want the moisture to escape from them, not build up in the bag with them. Store mushrooms away from any foods in the refrigerator that give off strong odors. Mushrooms are incredibly odor absorbers, and if you place them near scented foods, they will tend to absorb some of that odor.
If you store the mushrooms correctly, they will last for a few days. Try to use them as soon as possible, as their freshness can go pretty quickly. Most of the lighter brown mushrooms get darker as they age, so it’s a good idea to try using the darkest mushrooms of the group first, to use them up before they go bad.
Mushrooms should also be stored whole. It’s a bad idea to cut them or prepare them in any way before storing them, as this will shorten their shelf life. You can put pickles or mushrooms, in which case they will last almost indefinitely. The mushrooms can also be dried, which will allow them to last forever if protected from moisture.
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