How to store mushrooms?

Question

I have cultivated a fondness for mushrooms and liked their heavenly taste so much that I often end up buying more than what I can consume. So I want to know if there is any kitchen trick to keep them fresh longer.

Answer 1

Fresh mushrooms have very short shelf life because most of their body mass if composed of water. That is why you will find them all shriveled and dried out when left exposed to the air for a few days. But you can prolong their shelf life by a few days if you know how to store them properly.

I often buy fresh mushrooms from farmer’s market and I find that storing them in the vegetable cabinet inside the refrigerator without taking them out of their original cardboard box helps them stay fresh for the longest time. Wrapping fresh mushrooms in plastic will prevent air from circulating which in turn will make your prized fungi slimy after a few days. If you buy mushrooms from the supermarket, typically, they will come in plastic wrappers. So just let them sit inside the refrigerator in their original wrappers.

Answer 2

The answer to your question, how to store mushrooms, really depends on where you get your mushrooms. If you get them from supermarkets, then just keep the plastic wrappers intact just like the other answerer said. They can stay fresh in this condition for more than a week. But after opening them you must make sure that you transfer the mushrooms to a “moisture sealed” container as too much or too little moisture can ruin your stash of these tasty fungi.

In my case, I always buy mushrooms directly from a mushroom farm near my area. There is no pre-package, so I find that the easiest way to control moisture around the mushroom is by wrapping them with a paper towel before putting them inside a plastic ziplock or an ordinary plastic bag. Poke a few holes into the plastic bag to let air circulate. What the paper towel does is keep the moisture of the mushrooms inside to prevent them from drying out while at the same time keeping out the moisture from the fridge. Remember, too little moisture can result to dried mushrooms while too much will make them slimy.

Mushrooms packed with paper towel can last much longer than those stored in ordinary plastic bags. In my case, I can keep them inside the crisper for up to two weeks with no worries.