How to choose high-quality salted mushrooms?
Jan 07, 2025
High-quality raw mushrooms should have the following characteristics:
(I) Freshness
Freshness is the core requirement for raw mushrooms. Fresh mushroom caps are full and round, without any signs of dryness or shrinkage. The gills are closely arranged and uniform in color, usually white or light brown. If you press the cap gently with your hand, you can feel its elasticity. After you let go, the cap quickly returns to its original shape, indicating that the internal cell structure of the mushroom is intact and has sufficient water. If there is an obvious dent after pressing and it recovers slowly or even cannot recover, it means that the mushroom has begun to lose water and its freshness has decreased. In addition, the surface of fresh mushrooms should have a natural luster, without darkening, yellowing, or mucus and other signs of deterioration.
(II) Appearance integrity
Raw mushrooms should have no signs of erosion by pests and diseases. Carefully check the surface of the mushrooms. There should be no worm holes, worm spots, or gaps eaten by pests. At the same time, make sure that the cap is intact and undamaged, and that the stem is strong and not broken. The edges of the cap are neat, without tearing or incompleteness. For some wild mushroom varieties, such as porcini, their appearance integrity must be strictly checked because they are more susceptible to pests and diseases in the wild.
(III) Cleanliness
Mushrooms may be attached to dirt, impurities, weeds, etc. during their growth process, and their cleanliness must be ensured when they are selected. High-quality raw mushrooms should be preliminarily cleaned, and there should be almost no obvious dirt particles and impurities on the surface. For some tiny impurities hidden in the gills, you can gently shake the mushrooms or use a soft brush to clean them. When purchasing on a large scale, you can randomly select some mushrooms for cleaning tests to observe the cleanliness after cleaning and whether some stains or impurities are difficult to remove.
