What differences are there between reconstituted dried mushrooms and fresh?
I'm new to the idea of cooking with dried (reconstituted) mushrooms and am wondering how they would differ from fresh when cooked.
Specifically, is the texture noticeably different? What types of (cooked mushroom) dishes and cooking techniques are appropriate for dried vs. fresh?
Best Answer
Dehydrated mushrooms usually have a really intense flavor, and are a bit tougher than fresh mushrooms. Reconstituted they can be use in risotto, filled pasta, duxelles for an enhanced mushroom flavor.
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What is the difference between fresh and dried mushrooms?
How are dried mushrooms different from fresh? The flavor of a dried mushroom is slightly more concentrated than the fresh kind. It's what makes them spectacular for adding depth to broths, stews, and soups. Morels, on the other hand, can be dustier and grittier when dry.Are dried mushrooms as good as fresh mushrooms?
Fresh mushrooms are 80% water, and when you remove that, you are left with a highly concentrated product, packed with flavor and nutrients. Unlike vegetables, which lose much of their nutritional value when processed, dried mushrooms retain all of their medicinal and immune-boosting properties.Can I substitute dried mushrooms for fresh?
Use about three ounces of dried mushrooms for every pound of fresh mushrooms called for in the recipe. That might not seem like enough, but once they're reconstituted, the mushrooms will expand to give you the pound of fresh mushrooms needed in the recipe.Can you eat reconstituted mushrooms?
Dried mushrooms need to be reconstituted with water before you can use them, and this produces two wonderful things: the mushrooms themselves and their flavorful soaking liquid. Both can be used in soups, stews, sauces, p\xe2t\xe9s, and gratins.Fresh vs Dried Mushrooms: And the winner is. . . .
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Answer 2
Although in theory any mushroom could be dried, most often it is only the more "expensive" or rare species (such as porcini/ceps or morels) which are dried since this allows them to stored for an indefinite time and much more easily transported.
Saying that, shitake mushrooms are often found dried and are neither rare nor particularly expensive (indeed, unlike many fungus species they can be successfully cultivated).
Dried mushrooms are also much quicker since they are usually already prepared (washed, sliced, etc) and just have to be rehydrated in water for use. (Also the water the mushrooms have rehydrated in makes a great instant mushroom 'stock')
The flavor of dried mushrooms is more concentrated too and so less is needed for a recipe and I also agree with @BenjamínAbarzúaFernández that dried mushrooms tend to be tougher than fresh mushrooms.
Dried mushrooms are actually used as a different ingredient altogether, in fact the River Cafe Cookbook Green writes:
[Porcini mushrooms] are used throughout the year, not as a substitute for the fresh mushroom, but as a separate valid ingredient in recipes
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