How to cook mushrooms and prevent them from becoming waterlogged? Philippe Etchebest gives his tips

Once these steps have been completed, it’s time to get into the kitchen. The problem ? The mushroom is a food very rich in water which bleeds enormously and can thus lose its flavor.

In order to avoid this and cook them correctly, chef Philippe Etchebest shared his advice. It’s in his Youtube video “My mushroom raviole” that the Top Chef juror gave his tips for cooking your mushrooms properly. So we’ll explain how to go about it.

The first question that arises before cooking mushrooms is: do you need to wash them? If the chef explains that it is possible to rinse them, on the other hand, he highlights a mistake not to make: “Mushrooms are made up of 80% water, so you should avoid soaking them so that they do not become saturated with extra water.” This would make them lose all their taste.

On the other hand, it is not forbidden to wash them a little with water. To do this, place them in a colander and rinse them quickly with tap water. Don’t forget to remove as much water as possible afterwards, being careful not to damage the mushrooms. Then you can move on to cutting.

The first common mistake is overfilling your pan. In fact, the chef recommends not putting too many mushrooms in the pan at once. “otherwise it risks boiling.” It is important that the mushrooms are not too close together. So think about “adapt the quantity of mushrooms to the size of your pan”. The best is for the mushrooms to cover the surface without overlapping each other. Brown them in several batches if you have a lot. Moreover, they will cook faster and in better conditions.

And for cooking, don’t forget to add some fat to the bottom of the pan so that they don’t stick. The chef opts for olive oil. However, for greater indulgence, he recommends using duck fat.

Concerning the intensity of the fire, the best is to opt for a very high heat: “The oil must be very hot. Here I put the plate on boost” specifies the chef. This temperature will allow the moisture present in the mushrooms to be eliminated more quickly. We will then witness the Maillard reaction so that the mushrooms caramelize slightly.

Still on an intense heat, Philippe Etchebest moves on to seasoning the mushrooms. He adds salt and pepper to his preparation while stirring and sautéing the mushrooms regularly.

If, despite all these tips, you find that your mushrooms are still releasing too much water, the chef has another simple tip: pour the water from the pan into your sink. Remove from the heat, then add a little fat if necessary. Indeed, remember that it is thanks to the fat present in the pan that you will be able to obtain a beautiful caramelization of the vegetables.

Finally, wait for the end of cooking “to add parsley leaves, garlic and shallots” in order to preserve all their flavors and ensure that these ingredients do not color too much.