Reserving Mushroom Liquid -- Tip of the Day

by Monika Bartyzel, Posted Aug 6th 2009 @ 9:00AM

Dried mushrooms are a handy ingredient to keep in the pantry, but did you know that the water you use to fluff them up is just as handy?

Drying mushrooms. Photo: mtkopone, Flickr

When dried mushrooms are steeped in water, they absorb a lot of that liquid, and likewise, the H2O takes on some fungal flavor.

After reconstituting mushrooms, strain the water through a cheesecloth to catch any lingering dirt, and use the reserved liquid for a myriad of cooking needs. It can be used in place of water any time a little extra flavor is required, whether to amp up a soup or shroom up a sauce or a risotto. If liquid is not needed right away, just freeze it until the right moment.

Otherwise, you're pouring flavor right down the drain!

Filed Under: Tip of the Day
Tags: dried mushrooms, DriedMushrooms, mushrooms, reconstituting mushrooms, ReconstitutingMushrooms, reserving mushroom liquid, ReservingMushroomLiquid