Butterlets are popular and healthy edible mushrooms whose appearance lives up to their name. The cap has a noticeable oily film, which protects the fruiting body from drying out. This film easily attracts debris, pine needles, and leaves, making cleaning them often difficult. There are several ways to clean butterlets, which speed up the processing and cooking of the mushrooms.
Features of the species and benefits
Although there are many types of butter mushrooms, they all look very similar. The smooth stem is cylindrical, and the flesh can be light yellow or white-gray. If cut or broken, the flesh may turn blue or red.
The cap of young mushrooms is hemispherical, but becomes flatter with age. Both the cap and stem are edible. A distinctive feature that distinguishes butter mushrooms is the tubular hymenophore. The tubules located on the underside of the cap help distinguish butter mushrooms from poisonous fruiting bodies.
Large clusters of these mushrooms are most often found in coniferous forests. They typically grow in open, sunny areas, on moss, old pine needles, and sandy soil. They are not found in open ground where there is no grass or shrubs. The best time to collect them is May through October.
Butter mushrooms are often used in cooking due to their high nutritional value, rich content of nutrients, fiber, and amino acids. The body absorbs 80% of the latter. Young bodies are richer in amino acids than older ones. Butter mushrooms are also rich in potassium, iron, and phosphorus, and contain vitamins A, B, B1, PP, and C. Their beneficial effects on the human body include preventing headaches and treating gout.
Preparing butter mushrooms for cleaning and hand precautions
Before cleaning, you need to decide on the subsequent cooking method. For drying, for example, removing the oily film is not necessary. Simply brushing away any debris from the cap and fruiting body with a stiff brush will suffice.
If the product is to be cooked further, the sticky film must be completely removed. Before removing the film, the mushrooms must be thoroughly washed in water several times to completely remove any sand or debris from the surface.
It's best to wash and clean the mushrooms as soon as possible after picking. Harvested butter mushrooms can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours without packaging. If packaged and refrigerated, they will be unusable once they thaw out.
How to quickly and effectively remove the film from mushrooms?
To quickly remove the slimy film from butter mushrooms, remember that you can only peel them when they're dry. If you soak them first, they'll absorb the liquid, causing the slimy film to swell. Clean fresh mushrooms dry. If they were picked in damp weather, leave them spread out on paper for a couple of hours to dry.
With a knife
You can even peel the film at the collection site if the weather isn't too humid. Use a sharp knife, grab the edge of the film, and pull it out.
Keep in mind that you should start peeling the film from the edges of the cap to avoid damaging the smooth surface of the mushroom. Freshly picked boletuses are easy to peel this way. However, if the weather is damp, you can only remove the film with a knife at home, after they've dried.
Without the help of a knife
To properly remove the membrane, you can break the cap in half. The resulting split will reveal the edges of the membrane, which you can pull on. This method is easier than peeling with a knife, but it will prevent you from cooking the mushroom whole.
Using boiling water
To use this method, divide the mushrooms into several portions. Place the pot on the stove and wait for the water to boil. Then, place the mushrooms in a colander, one at a time, and hold the colander over the boiling water for 30 seconds.
You can dip the mushrooms in a colander in boiling water for a couple of minutes, then quickly rinse them with cold water. After this procedure, the skins come off very easily.
Using vegetable oil
Prepare a clean cloth and soak it in vegetable oil. Wipe the caps of all the mushrooms, gloves, and a knife with this cloth. Use the tip of the knife to lift the film and slowly pull it toward you. This will ensure it comes off easily and without tearing, and the cap will remain smooth. If the film does tear and comes off unevenly, carefully scrape off the remaining film with a knife.
Cleaning with a dry sponge
A kitchen sponge can quickly remove the film not only from old mushrooms but also from young mushrooms that are difficult to peel. Rub the surface of the cap with a dry, clean sponge. It's best to use the rough side of the sponge. Rub the cap gently to avoid breaking it.
Other methods
There are equally effective ways to remove the skin from the surface of boletus caps. These include cleaning with cheesecloth and vinegar. To use the first method, press a piece of cheesecloth firmly but gently onto the cap. The oil film should adhere to the cheesecloth. Then, pull the edge of the cloth sharply. A paper towel can be used instead.
For the second method, you'll need 5 tablespoons of vinegar per liter of water. Boil the water, add the vinegar, and drop the mushrooms into the boiling water, placing them cap-side down in a colander. Hold the mushrooms over the boiling water for no more than 20 seconds. After this, you can begin peeling the skins. The acetic acid not only makes the process easier but also helps remove any stuck-on debris.
Butter mushrooms can be cleaned just as effectively with salt. To do this, prepare a solution of 200 grams of table salt per liter of water. Soak the mushrooms only after removing the skin. Soaking will help open the pores of the mushroom, allowing for a more thorough cleaning.
Answers to frequently asked questions
Soak your hands in this solution for no longer than 5 minutes, then wash them with soap and apply a rich, nourishing hand cream. If the stains are not very intense, you can use baking soda or laundry soap. More effective, but not recommended, methods include cleaning your hands with acetone or oil-removing gel.
Some gourmets, on the contrary, prefer foods with a bitter taste, so whether or not to peel these mushrooms is a matter of taste. However, it's recommended to remove the membrane to avoid digestive upset. Young butter mushrooms don't require this treatment at all: their membrane is very difficult to remove and doesn't impart bitterness to food.
Butter mushrooms are a product that, when properly and timely processed, has exceptional flavor. Once prepared, they can be used in cooking, fried, dried, and pickled.
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donut-shaped lid
First, peel the caps from the slimy skin, and then rinse them in a sieve by dipping them in water. DO NOT SOAK THE BUTTER MUSHROOM IN WATER. Then do whatever you like.
Apparently the author never collected or preserved butter mushrooms, as they say, "he heard the ringing, but doesn't know where it came from..."
Irina Leonidovna
It's simple. My family brings me several baskets of mushrooms in the garden. I'm sitting there cleaning and sorting them. First, I set aside the russula mushrooms in piles—just boil them and pickle them in a jar for the cold. Separately, I boil all the milk mushrooms, also boil them and clean them easily under running water (if any are left, then pickle them under a weight). Then come the birch boletes and porcini mushrooms—I scrape off the stems—and then whatever you like. I usually freeze them in bags, and lastly, it's the butter mushrooms. While they're waiting, the films on their caps have dried out. And then it's easy to just peel them with your fingers, without any of your fancy gadgets. I marinate them in a light marinade and seal them in small jars. My dear mushroom pickers, I recommend you do the same—they're delicious.
Valeri Mishnov
I'm always amazed by mushroom pickers who bring mushroom debris home from the forest. I take only the caps of all kinds of mushrooms. The stems of mushrooms are inedible—they're pure fiber. The body doesn't digest fiber—it's pure waste, unnecessary. When we were kids, my grandmother categorically forbade us from bringing mushroom stems home from the forest. And I clean butter mushrooms in the forest. I have a wicker basket with two compartments for mushrooms, and a separate one for butter mushrooms. And I'm also amazed at how mushroom pickers carry old and wormy mushrooms. No wonder they get poisoned.