How to cook butter mushrooms correctly and for how long (+13 photos)?

Butterlets are mushrooms with a unique flavor, making them a favorite among many mushroom pickers and home cooks. However, to give them their richness and aroma, as well as prepare them for freezing, you need to know how to cook them properly. First and foremost, you need to know how to cook butterlets. This affects not only their flavor but also their safety, so this process should not be neglected.

Features of butter mushrooms and their benefits

The butter mushroom is a tubular mushroom whose name speaks for itself: its cap is covered with a thin, oily film that distinguishes it from other species. Its flesh is very juicy and meaty, and the mushroom itself is brown or reddish in color.

Butterlets have their own classification, according to which they are divided into:

• ordinary;
• yellow-brown;
• granular;
• larch.

Besides their incredible taste, members of this plant kingdom also boast a number of beneficial properties. These include:

• protection of blood vessels from the formation of atherosclerotic plaques due to the content of lecithin;
• removal of excess uric acid from the body;
• combating depressive states due to the presence of aphrodisiacs in the mushroom juice;
• relief of gout and migraine symptoms;
• immunostimulating function.

Preparation before cooking

Mushrooms must be carefully prepared before cooking. To do this, follow these guidelines:

1. There is no need to pre-soak butter mushrooms before cleaning them, as they already contain enough moisture.
2. Place them on baking sheets or wire racks shortly before processing. Once they've dried a bit, peeling them will be much easier and more convenient. The optimal drying time is half an hour.

   

3. First, remove any dirt from the mushroom caps. It's important to remove any oily film, too, otherwise the mushroom dish will taste bitter. But this is a personal decision.
4. The peeled product must be placed in a saucepan with pre-filled water.

   

That's it, the prep stage is complete. Now you can move on to the actual cooking.

Features of "cooking" butter mushrooms

If the product is cooked correctly, it will not only have an excellent taste, but it will also be ready for further processing.

Preparing for cooking

To prepare for the cooking process of these mushrooms, you need to follow this algorithm:

1. Cut them into pieces, slices or cubes – as the hostess prefers.
2. Place the mushrooms in water and bring to a boil. Once the liquid boils, drain it, then add new water and add a little salt. Add 1 teaspoon of salt per 1 liter of water. You can use regular table salt or sea salt.

   

3. To prevent the mushrooms from turning black after cooking, add 10 drops of lemon juice or a pinch of citric acid to the main water.
4. The cooking process should continue for 20-30 minutes from the moment the water boils.

After the allotted time has passed, drain the finished product in a colander. Alternatively, strain the liquid through a sieve.

Before frying

In principle, it is not necessary to boil this type of mushroom before frying, but if there are any doubts about the freshness or quality of the mushrooms, it is better to boil them first.

In these circumstances, boil them in the first water for 5 minutes, and in the second for 15 minutes. After that, you can start frying.

Before freezing

You don't need to cook mushrooms for freezing, but if you have a large quantity, it's best to cook them first. This will help them last much longer.

Furthermore, heat treatment can significantly reduce the volume of the finished product by boiling out its liquid, which means it will take up less space in the freezer.

First, place them in an enamel bowl and fill with water. Make sure the water completely covers the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms under a closed lid until done, without changing the water. This process typically takes 15 minutes.

Once the mushrooms are ready, drain them in a colander until they're completely cool.

Don't place hot, cooked food in the freezer. Firstly, it will negatively affect its quality. Secondly, it could damage the freezer.

Before freezing, the butter mushrooms should be packaged in plastic bags or containers. However, it's important to remember that they must be completely cooled. If you package them while hot, the plastic or plastic may release toxic substances. After packaging, the containers can be placed in the freezer.

The liquid left over from cooking butter mushrooms can be used to make soup or mushroom broth. The broth can also be frozen for later use in other dishes.

Boiling before marinating

Before marinating, these mushrooms should first be soaked in hot water for 15 minutes, then drained and replaced with clean water. Cook the mushrooms in this liquid for 20 minutes, then strain in a colander or sieve. Add clean, salted water to the container. Boil the mushrooms for another 5 minutes, and they're ready.

After the final cooking, the product is thoroughly washed, after which you can move on to the main steps – marinating.

Preparing mushroom soup with butter

This type of mushroom is very popular in cooking for soups and broths. In this case, they don't require any special preparation. They simply need to be added to water and used as the main ingredient. That is, first boil the mushrooms, and then add the remaining ingredients to the simmering broth.

Straining the mushrooms' cooking water isn't necessary, but it's possible. In this case, there's no need to worry about losing all the broth. Butterlets are quite rich mushrooms, so the broth they make is rich and filling, no matter how many times the mushrooms are cooked. The cooking time for mushroom soup depends on the ingredients and the quantity of ingredients.

Cooking mushrooms in a slow cooker

Cook butter mushrooms in a slow cooker after thoroughly washing them. You can cut them into pieces (preferred) or stew them whole. In a slow cooker, use the stewing setting. Cooking time is 40 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Cooking butter mushrooms isn't particularly difficult. Boiling and other cooking methods don't take much time. However, these processes must be approached correctly to ensure a truly delicious, high-quality dish.