Frozen Mushrooms Are The Store-Bought Staple You Need To Try

We've all had the experience of picking up fresh mushrooms with the best intentions only to find them wilted and slimy in the produce drawer weeks later. If this sounds familiar, join the club, and consider grabbing a bag of frozen mushrooms on your next grocery run instead. They'll be equally delicious in your cooking, without forcing a race against the clock to use them before they turn.

You might not think of the freezer aisle as a viable place to pick up mushrooms, but don't be so fast to rule out store-bought frozen fungi as a delicious option. Not only do frozen 'shrooms stay good significantly longer than fresh ones (they can keep in the freezer for up to a year), you'll also reap the same nutrition and health benefits of them. Studies have shown the process of freezing vegetables doesn't reduce their nutritional value, so you'll still be getting all the antioxidants, copper, potassium, and more that mushrooms provide.  With frozen store-bought mushrooms in your freezer, you've got an easy and convenient way to make delicious mushroom-forward recipes while lessening your potential food waste.

Because of the naturally high water content in mushrooms, they have the potential to become soggy as they thaw. Play it safe by using frozen mushrooms in dishes like risottos, soups, or sauces, where they work beautifully, compared to dishes where their texture needs to take centerstage. In those cases, fresh may be best. But for countless weeknight dinners and special occasion dishes, frozen mushrooms cook down perfectly and without the time and prep work required for using the fresh kind.

No need to wash, slice, or remove the stems when using frozen mushrooms. For dishes like soups, stews, casseroles, pastas, and the like, you can simply dump the whole bag directly into the dish and cook thoroughly — no pre-thawing or prep needed. If you're using frozen mushrooms in dishes that don't get time on the stovetop or in the oven, you can allow them to first thaw in the refrigerator before using them. The sky's the limit for how to enjoy mushrooms — in side dishes, main courses, atop pizza, you name it. So keep a bag in the freezer to always have this staple on-hand and never again have to toss another slimy carton.