Chef Says We've Been Cooking Mushrooms Wrong As Method Divides The Internet

A chef has caused controversy after he shared his method of cooking mushrooms that he says will make them 'perfect'.

Although most of us will just throw them in the pan or oven, Jim Fuller says there is a much better way to do it, and he's divided opinion.

Fuller is the co-founder of meat alternative company Fable Food and he made the revelation on Australia's The Today Show.

On his Instagram page, he shared a post to explain, advising people to boil mushrooms in water for the best results.

He wrote: "Boil the mushrooms first. This statement created a bit of controversy when I told @lfizzlphillips the best way to cook mushrooms was to start off boiling them until they are perfectly cooked on this morning's @channel9 @thetodayshow weather."

Instead of putting them straight in to the pan to cook them, he says that they should be boiled on a high heat in shallow water. He then adds more if needed until they're tender and says that it isn't possible to over boil them, because of their cellular structure.

He says that it means all the water is removed from the mushrooms, which then should be evaporated until the pan is pretty much dry.

As you would with pasta, Jim recommends trying them as you go along to see when they're done, saying that you can always add more water and carry on boiling them if they're too chewy.

Once they stop releasing water, they should be done. He says to finish them off by adding in oil and frying them off before adding seasoning to taste.

But people weren't letting him get away with it that easily.

After his TV appearance, he said that he received comments to say that it was wrong, with many saying they'd been told to never let mushrooms touch any water before they are cooked.

Instagram

But others agreed with his method. One person had even said they'd been mushroom-shamed in places he'd worked for doing this, writing: "You know what! I've been doing this for years with massive dirty looks from across the kitchens I've worked in being called a cowboy but I prefer the term innovator!

"Glad someone has shone a light on this! I've also always washed my shrooms in 2 buckets of hot water and then one cold, that's a trick I was taught years ago by an 80+ ex Michelin chef who's name I forget but even in his 80's he was doing 3 doubles a week and calling it a part time job and the hotel went to shit when he was away as he done most of the prep.

"Absolute legend!"

Topics: Food

Amelia Ward

Amelia is a journalist at LADbible. After studying journalism at Liverpool John Moores and Salford Uni (don't ask), she went into PR and then the world of music. She spent a few years working on festivals and events before joining LADbible. In her spare time, Amelia likes music and spending good, quality time with her cat, Paul. You can contact Amelia at [email protected].

@ameliasward