Cook mushrooms whole or sliced in any flavor of broth.

Image Credit: Danilo Ascione/Hemera/Getty Images Well-prepared mushrooms are so flavorful and juicy that they can replace meat in side dishes or main courses. They add texture and depth to any meal of the day: Serve them on toast as part of an English breakfast, add them to soups or salads for lunch or stir them into pasta dishes or gravies for dinner. Mushrooms are fat-free and low in calories, but they lose these selling points if you cook them in oil. To create healthy mushroom dishes with rich, complex flavors, sauté your mushrooms in broth instead.

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Step 1

Dampen a paper towel slightly. Use it to wipe the mushrooms clean. Mushrooms absorb water, so use a damp towel instead of a wet towel. Slice the mushrooms if desired.

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Step 2

Place a few teaspoons of broth in a pan. Use a flavor of broth that complements the dish you are preparing. Heat the broth over medium heat on the stove.

Step 3

Add a mushroom to the pan when the broth is hot. Listen for a sizzling sound. If you don’t hear the sizzle, let the broth warm further, then add another mushroom and listen again. When a mushroom you add sizzles immediately, add the rest of the mushrooms.

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Step 4

Tilt the pan and stir the mushrooms so they are all coated with the broth. Distribute them around the pan so they aren’t overlapping or touching.

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Step 5

Look for additional moisture seeping from the mushrooms into the pan. If they don’t seem to be releasing water, add a little bit of salt to the pan. Add thinly sliced onion, garlic or fresh herbs to the pan if desired.

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Step 6

Cook the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until all the water and broth have dried. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the mushrooms become golden-brown. Remove them from the pan and add them to other recipes at the very end of cooking, or serve them individually as a side dish.

Things You'll Need

Paper towel Mushrooms Pan Broth Salt Onions, garlic, herbs (optional) Tip Mushrooms cook down considerably. Start with a large volume of raw mushrooms to finish with a usable amount of cooked mushrooms.

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  references & resources
  
      The Kitchn; Cooking Basics: How to Sauté Mushrooms; Emma Christensen; September 2008
    
      Epicurious: What to Cook Now: Mushrooms
    
      Epicurious; A Visual Guide to Mushrooms; Esther Sung
       




  references & resources
  
      The Kitchn; Cooking Basics: How to Sauté Mushrooms; Emma Christensen; September 2008
    
      Epicurious: What to Cook Now: Mushrooms
    
      Epicurious; A Visual Guide to Mushrooms; Esther Sung
    




Cook mushrooms whole or sliced in any flavor of broth.

Image Credit: Danilo Ascione/Hemera/Getty Images

Image Credit: Danilo Ascione/Hemera/Getty Images

  • Paper towel
  • Mushrooms
  • Pan
  • Broth
  • Salt
  • Onions, garlic, herbs (optional)

Mushrooms cook down considerably. Start with a large volume of raw mushrooms to finish with a usable amount of cooked mushrooms.

      The Kitchn; Cooking Basics: How to Sauté Mushrooms; Emma Christensen; September 2008
    
      Epicurious: What to Cook Now: Mushrooms
    
      Epicurious; A Visual Guide to Mushrooms; Esther Sung