How to Cut Mushrooms in 4 Steps

Here are some of the most common types of cooking mushrooms:

1. 1. Button mushroom: Also known as white mushrooms, this is the most common and mildest-tasting mushroom variety you’ll find in grocery stores. Slice these mushrooms and use them to top pizza, eat them raw or cooked, or add them into salads.
2. 2. Chanterelle mushroom: Chanterelles are common in many European cuisines and native to the northwestern US. Chanterelles have a woodsy, mushroom flavor and a velvety texture, making them great for sautéing simply in butter.
3. 3. Cremini mushroom: A cremini mushroom is a young portobello mushroom that is light brown and more flavorful than button mushrooms. You can swap button mushrooms for cremini mushrooms in most recipes.
4. 4. Morel mushroom: Morchella esculenta, or morel mushrooms, are among the most desired wild mushrooms. Morels have a distinctive spongy and conical-shaped cap. They have a nutty, earthy flavor and are delicious sautéed simply in butter.
5. 5. Oyster mushroom: Pleurotus ostreatus, or oyster mushroom, is a common edible mushroom. You can find oyster mushrooms in the wild growing on trees, although the ones you'll find in the store are usually farm-cultivated. They're white to light brown and fan-shaped with a mild and sweet flavor. Chefs often use oyster mushrooms in Chinese cuisine for stir-fries and soups.
6. 6. Portobello mushroom: Commonly used in Italian cooking, rich portobellos lend depth to creamy sauces, and the meaty texture of this large brown mushroom makes it a great meat substitute. Try swapping out your meat patties and use portobellos instead to make delicious vegetarian burgers. They are great for grilling and stuffing.
7. 7. Shiitake mushroom: Lentinula edodes, or shiitake mushrooms, are common ingredients in Asian cuisine. You can identify them by their umbrella-shaped brown caps, and they have a light woodsy flavor and aroma. Shiitake mushrooms have a meaty texture and release an earthy, umami flavor when cooked. You can sauté, fry, stir-fry, and roast them, add them to soups, or use them to top pizza.

Sliced mushrooms from the grocery store are primarily prepared on-site, and as a result, rarely need cleaning. Other mushrooms might come from a sterile environment with sterile manure, but the dirt that sticks to their surfaces doesn’t taste good, so you might opt to wash them before cooking or consumption.

You can also clean mushrooms with just a few paper towels and a mushroom brush. Using water to clean the fungi would make them waterlogged and prevent them from crisping as they cook.

Cutting mushrooms is a simple cooking step that beginner-level home cooks can easily master.

1. 1. Prepare your workstation. Take out a clean cutting board and sharp chef’s knife or paring knife.
2. 2. Clean with a damp paper towel. Always clean your mushrooms before working with them. Clean your mushrooms by wiping them down with a damp paper towel or brushing off the dirt with a mushroom brush.
3. 3. Remove the stems. Most mushroom stems are woody and not meant for consumption. Slice the stem at the cap, which will make a flat surface on the mushroom where the stem once was.
4. 4. Slice to your preferred thickness. Place the now-flat side of the mushroom against your cutting board. With the stem-side down, use the knuckles of your non-dominant hand to hold the mushroom in place. Use your sharp knife to slice across the mushroom caps to your desired thickness, moving your knuckle away from the blade as you cut. You can further chop your mushrooms to mince or dice them.

Though the way you chop your mushrooms can depend on the recipe, below are some basic tips for slicing mushrooms:

1. 1. Check the recipe. Different recipes call for different mushroom cuts. For example, you may need quartered mushrooms for roasting or sautéeing. To quarter your mushrooms, hold them on their side by the cap, slicing through the center vertically between your thumb and index finger with a paring knife. Rotate the mushroom ninety degrees and make the same cut again until you end up with four smaller pieces.
2. 2. Clean the mushrooms. You don’t have to peel your mushrooms before eating or cooking them. Simply wipe them down with a damp paper towel to prepare them for use.
3. 3. Be careful when cutting. Use your knuckles to hold the mushrooms in place, and keep an eye on the blade while cutting. Pay attention to where you point the tip of the knife, and move slowly—especially if you are a beginner in the kitchen.
4. 4. Use an egg slicer. If you’d rather not test your knife skills, purchase an egg slicing tool that can give you quick, even cuts for a variety of different mushrooms.

Store fresh mushrooms in a porous container to promote air circulation with paper towels to absorb excess moisture, as fungi thrive in damp, sealed environments. You can wrap your raw mushrooms loosely in a paper towel, then store them in an open plastic or brown paper bag. You can store cooked mushrooms in an airtight container like other cooked food.

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