Vegan Sloppy Joe Recipe with Roasted Portobello Mushrooms (2024)

FAQs

Do you peel portobello mushrooms before stuffing? ›

Do not peel. Leave the mushrooms whole or slice as necessary. If baking and stuffing remove the stalk before stuffing.

Portabella mushrooms taste meaty and savory, with an umami quality that makes them a good substitute for foods higher in fat and calories like meat and cheese. Portabella mushrooms are a good source of many nutrients, including: B vitamins.

Mushrooms, even common button mushrooms, contain traces of carcinogenic compounds in raw form. The same toxin, hydrazine, is also found in portobello mushrooms, and shiitake mushrooms contain a naturally occurring formaldehyde. Both chemicals are heat-sensitive and abolished upon exposure to heat.

When it comes to cooking, the most important thing to know is that chitin is very heat stable. That means when you cook mushrooms, they're not going to get soft and mushy.

Cooking with dry heat—and yes, cooking directly in fat is actually a "dry" cooking method—allows them to release their natural moisture. It caramelizes their sugars, making them tender, not spongey.

Mushroom gills are completely edible, but not everyone is jazzed about including them in their dish. While some people claim that they give dishes a distractingly earthy or bitter flavor, I've never noticed a significant difference, at least not with my tongue. Appearance is another matter entirely.

Do I need to wash the mushrooms before I cook them? Never wash mushrooms. Instead, Wipe off any dirt with a damp paper towel. You can wash them but they won't be as good in texture/color.

Yes, the dark gills of portobello mushrooms are edible. However, most chefs remove them as they darken the color of the dish they are using them in. Why remove gills from portobello mushrooms? Most people remove the mushroom gills during the cleaning process because dirt or sand may hide in the gill structure.

The name portabella was popularized in the 1980s to sell a then unglamorous mushroom. Because it is harvested later, the portabella can easily reach 5 inches in diameter, and is packed with concentrated flavor. In the matter of portabella versus portobello, both spellings are used.

“All mushrooms—button, shiitake, portobello—contain polysaccharides, compounds with anti-inflammatory properties,” says Andy Bellatti, a Las Vegas–based dietitian.

Can you eat portobello mushrooms raw? ›

While some mushrooms like the white button, cremini, and portobello can be eaten raw in moderation, most mushrooms benefit from the cooking process for both nutritional uptake and safety reasons. Cooking mushrooms helps neutralize toxins, break down tough cell walls for easier digestion, and enhance their flavor.

Symptoms of mushroom poisoning

Nausea. Stomach cramps. Vomiting. Diarrhea (sometimes bloody)

Mushrooms aren't necessarily the best choice of treat to give your dog. While store-bought mushrooms (like white button or portabella) are generally safe for dogs to eat if they're prepared correctly, the nutrients they offer don't have enough bioavailability for dogs to benefit much from them.

I find that the best way to clean mushrooms avoids getting them very wet. I take whole mushrooms and wipe them off with a clean, damp cloth or paper towel. I find this keeps their rich flavor. Mushrooms cleaned in a bowl of water or running water, in my opinion, absorb too much water and lose both flavor and texture.

"As you know now, mushrooms have a ton of water in them. When you cook them in a pan, the water will seep out. If you keep the heat low, the mushrooms will just simmer in their liquid. Medium high or high heat will get rid of all that liquid, and will give the mushrooms a nice brown color.

The secret to mushroom storage is that they stay fresh longer if you take them out of their container. Wrap them in paper towels placed in open plastic bags (paper bags are even better) and keep them in the fridge.

The paper bag will absorb any moisture, keeping your mushrooms safe," says Weintraub. If you don't have a brown paper bag, Weintraub recommends wrapping the mushrooms in a paper towel and placing them in a bowl in the refrigerator. Like the bag, the paper towel will absorb moisture, helping the mushrooms stay fresh.