Worms in Porcini and Other Dry Mushroom Questions

Worms in Porcini and Other Dry Mushroom Questions

00:00 Intro
00:26 Dry Mushroom Basics
01:57 Why I Throw Away Porcini Pieces
04:24 Where Are Your Porcini From
06:45 How to Use Dry Porcini
08:05 Dry Porcini Substitutions

Porcini that I buy on Amazon that you see in the video:
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[arkhykatenka]

Having grown up in Russia picking mushrooms every summer I really couldn't get what's the point of dried mushrooms -- they seem like a very poor alternative compared to the fresh ones. Now I understand that I was using them all wrong, throwing out the liquid and using the reconstituted mushrooms, instead of doing it the other way around

[lunadargent]

I only ever used dried porcini mushrooms once. I thought they were the grossest most revolting things I ever put in my mouth. After watching this video I now realize all the reasons why lol ! 🤣

[johnkenney]

I use one of those gold coffee filters to strain. That way, you can rinse and strain them multiple times (re-using the same rinse water so as to concentrate the flavor) without using a load of paper towels, rinsing off the filter in-between. Same for dried morels, which can be even more sandy/gritty than porcini.

[instantmedicine]

Helen, I just want to say that you make absolutely fantastic content for avid cooks! Thank you for all that you do.

[freedomfighter]

Wetting the paper towel that you line the strainer with was a great tip to prevent the towel from absorbing too much liquid. Thanks!

[floramew]

You mention how paid towels absorb some of that precious mushroom broth while straining-- they are explicitly designed to hold on to as much liquid as possible, after all. You might try coffee filters instead, it would take a bit longer to drain but they're not nearly as absorbent.

[cactustactics]

I appreciate that your explanation was a personal one, and you're basically saying "if you don't mind, don't worry about it!"

[konstantintretyakov]

I try to bring some porcini from back home every year. I usually make a "buckwheat risotto" ("grano-saracento"?) by cooking buckwheat in a Dutch oven with porcini liquid, sautéed yellow onions and carrots, a bay leaf, and of course the sliced porcinis after soaking them. Very curious to learn how you're cooking these mushrooms!

[PandoraRoman]

I followed a recipe for mushroom risotto recently that used dried and soaked porcini mushrooms and I only noticed the worms after I had added them to my pot. I also found a ROCK in my risotto so I'm definitely following these tips in the future

[samclements]

The variety in the Boletus family is absolutely astounding.
I’ve been appreciating them for my entire life, and I constantly see different types.

[warmsteamingpile]

I have found a few wild porcinis but they have all been full of worms. I am lucky to get dried ones at my local farmer's market that are clean and worm free.

[Bannedforfun]

Here in Latvia, where we have a huge berry and mushroom foraging culture, having to clean and deworm them afterward goes without saying. :) And of course, porcini are still _the_ biggest treasure, though chanterelles are great too.

[adamtousek]

Where I am from, it is normal to forage for mushrooms in the summer and dry your own porcini. That is probably why i would never think to throw away my soaked dried mushrooms. Also there are all kinds of porcini and having a combination of different ones has the best results imho. Greetings from Prague.

[dazuotv]

Thanks for a very nice video of the question about dried mushrooms 👍

[vzbox]

This was so helpful and elucidating! I made a stellar cream of mushroom soup over the holidays with all manner of fresh and dried shrooms, and the flavor was unparalleled, BUT there was a small amount of grit, which was absolutely demoralizing. I was stumped, because I must have rinsed, soaked, and scrubbed the reconstituted mushrooms four or five times, but as you've pointed out, some mushrooms simply will not let go of their grit.

That's why my default dried mushroom is shiitakes—they're the most affordable, and because they're cultivated, they're usually extremely clean and require minimal processing. They do have that distinctive shiitake funk, but they also have the underlying woodsiness of boletus varieties that helps fresh mushrooms in the same dish "respond to the call of the wild, " as Nigella Lawson says. And, of course, they're chock full of glutamates.

[joeybagodonuts]

Great video, you make some excellent points that I hadn't considered before.
It would be interesting to see what fungus among us says about their labeling. You should email them for an explanation.

[Objective-Observer]

BRAVA, THANK YOU! The comparisons were perfect! I don't like bugs in my food, either. I'm also a texture-phobe, which is why I could never enjoy dried mushrooms.

[marcm]

I love to forage. Worms love porcini more than any other mushroom. I tend to be pickier than some foragers, but it is common to have to cut off parts of the fresh mushrooms in order to get rid of worms and their little tunnels, and it's even more common to find a porcini that is too full of worms to consider.

The best porcini (meaning with no worms) get used fresh. Leftovers and slightly worm bitten porcini go on the dehydrator.

Very informative. I had a bumper harvest this year, and that means a lot of dehydrated porcini. I will definitely be trying this, as I have noticed how it is very difficult to get a good texture from rehydrated.

[..]

I'm glad we're still in a day and age where eating bugs is not "the new trend".

[indianne]

I found out the hard way that dried mushrooms do not rehydrate well when I dehydrated some baby Bella mushrooms a while ago. So I ground them into a powder. The powder is so wonderful!