How to clean and prepare mushrooms? (Kako ocistiti i pripremiti pecurke?)

Proper cleaning and preparation of mushrooms is important for their taste and texture. Before cooking, it is necessary to remove soil and other impurities, remove damaged parts and cut the mushrooms to the appropriate size.

Although it is often advised not to wash mushrooms with water, this rule does not necessarily apply to every type. The cleaning method depends on how dirty they are and what kind of structure they have.

Do mushrooms absorb water?

• Mushrooms contain a large percentage of water, but that does not mean that every mushroom will get soaked as soon as it comes into contact with water. 
• Short rinsing is generally not a problem, while prolonged immersion should be avoided.

Too much moisture on the surface of the mushrooms can slow down their caramelization in the pan. Instead of turning golden brown and developing a better flavor, they may begin to cook in the liquid they release.

That is why it is important to clean them properly and, if you wash them, dry them well before cooking.

 How to clean different types of mushrooms? 

1. Cultivated boletus mushrooms, oyster mushrooms and portobello mushrooms.

• Cultivated mushrooms generally do not have much soil, so wiping them with a damp paper napkin or a clean kitchen towel is usually enough to clean them. This way you remove dust and small impurities without unnecessary wetting.
• If they are visibly dirty, you can rinse them briefly under cold water. After that, dry them well with a paper towel or a clean kitchen towel.
• For champignons (button mushrooms, common mushrooms) and portobellos, cut off only the dry or damaged end of the stem.
• Separate the oysters into smaller pieces and remove any hard or damaged parts.

2. Forest mushrooms, porcini mushrooms, chanterelles and black trumpets.

• Forest mushrooms often have soil, sand, needles and other impurities from nature on them. That is why their cleaning requires a little more attention.
• First, remove larger impurities with a soft brush or a small knife. 
• Carefully scrape the soil from the stem, and remove the damaged parts.
• If the mushrooms are still dirty, rinse them briefly under cold water.
• Clean especially carefully the wrinkled parts of the chanterelles and the inside of the mushroom caps, where sand and small impurities can be retained.
• After washing, dry the mushrooms well. Do not leave them submerged in water.

Important

• Only pick wild mushrooms that you are absolutely sure are edible. Washing and heat treatment do not make mushrooms safe to eat.

 How to prepare mushrooms for cooking? 

1. Check and remove unnecessary parts.

• After cleaning, inspect the mushrooms and remove the parts that are dry, damaged or changed in texture. 
• With button mushrooms, it is not necessary to peel the cap, that is, the cap of the mushroom. Its skin is edible and there is usually no need to remove it. 

2. Cut the mushrooms according to the dish you are preparing.

• The size of the pieces affects the texture and speed of preparation. Larger cut mushrooms retain a pronounced, meaty texture, while smaller pieces cook faster and are easier to fit into stuffings, sauces and fillings.
• You can cut button mushrooms into leaves or quarters, oyster mushrooms into strips, and larger forest mushrooms into pieces of similar size so that they can be thermally processed evenly.

3. Cut them immediately before preparation.

• Mushrooms are best cut just before cooking. 
• If you prepare them much earlier, the cut surfaces may darken due to oxidation, and the mushrooms may lose some of their moisture while standing.

How to preserve the taste and good texture of mushrooms?

• Before you put the mushrooms in the pan, make sure they are well dried.
• Do not overcrowd the pan, because then the liquid will accumulate more easily, and the mushrooms will cook in the water instead of caramelizing, i.e. frying.
• Wait for the liquid to evaporate and for the surface to begin to acquire a golden brown color. This way you will achieve a better taste and a nice texture.

Pravilno ciscenje i priprema pecuraka vazni su za njihov ukus i teksturu. Pre kuvanja potrebno je ukloniti zemlju i druge necistoce, odstraniti ostecene delove i iseci pecurke na odgovarajucu velicinu.

Iako se cesto savetuje da se pecurke ne peru vodom, to pravilo ne mora da vazi za svaku vrstu. Nacin ciscenja zavisi od toga koliko su prljave i kakvu strukturu imaju.

Da li pecurke upijaju vodu?

• Pecurke sadrze veliki procenat vode, ali to ne znaci da ce se svaka pecurka natopiti cim dodje u dodir sa vodom. 
• Kratko ispiranje uglavnom nije problem, dok dugotrajno potapanje treba izbegavati.

Prevelika kolicina vlage na povrsini pecuraka moze da uspori njihovo karamelizovanje u tiganju. Umesto da dobiju zlatnosmedju koricu i razviju bolji ukus, mogu poceti da se kuvaju u tecnosti koju otpustaju.

Zato je vazno da ih ocistite na odgovarajuci nacin i, ako ih perete, dobro osusite pre kuvanja.

 Kako ocistiti razlicite vrste pecuraka? 

1. Kultivisane pecurke sampinjoni, bukovace i portobelo.

• Kultivisane pecurke uglavnom nemaju mnogo zemlje, pa je za njihovo ciscenje najcesce dovoljno brisanje vlaznom papirnom salvetom ili cistom kuhinjskom krpom. Tako uklanjate prasinu i sitne necistoce bez nepotrebnog vlazenja.
• Ako su vidljivo prljave, mozete ih kratko isprati pod mlazom hladne vode. Nakon toga ih dobro osusite papirnim ubrusom ili cistom kuhinjskom krpom.
• Kod sampinjona i portobela odsecite samo suv ili ostecen kraj drske. 
• Bukovace razdvojte na manje komade i uklonite eventualne tvrde ili ostecene delove.

2. Sumske pecurke vrganji, lisicarke i crne trube.

• Sumske pecurke cesto na sebi imaju zemlju, pesak, iglice i druge necistoce iz prirode. Zato njihovo ciscenje zahteva malo vise paznje.
• Najpre uklonite krupnije necistoce mekom cetkicom ili malim nozem. 
• Zemlju sa drske pazljivo sastruzite, a ostecene delove odstranite.
• Ako su pecurke i dalje prljave, kratko ih isperite pod mlazom hladne vode. 
• Posebno pazljivo ocistite naborane delove lisicarki i unutrasnjost sesira pecurke, gde se mogu zadrzati pesak i sitne necistoce.
• Nakon pranja, pecurke dobro osusite. Nemojte ih ostavljati potopljene u vodi.

Vazno

Berite samo sumske pecurke za koje ste potpuno sigurni da su jestive. Pranje i termicka obrada ne cine otrovne pecurke bezbednim za jelo.

 Kako pripremiti pecurke za kuvanje? 

1. Proverite i odstranite nepotrebne delove.

• Nakon ciscenja pregledajte pecurke i uklonite delove koji su suvi, osteceni ili promenjene teksture. 
• Kod sampinjona nije potrebno ljustiti klobuk, odnosno sesir pecurke. Njegova kozica je jestiva i obicno nema potrebe da je uklanjate.

2. Isecite pecurke prema jelu koje pripremate. 

• Velicina komada utice na teksturu i brzinu pripreme. Krupnije isecene pecurke zadrzavaju izrazenu, mesnatu teksturu, dok se sitniji komadi brze kuvaju i lakse uklapaju u nadeve, soseve i filove.
• Sampinjone mozete seci na listice ili cetvrtine, bukovace na trake, a krupnije sumske pecurke na komade slicne velicine kako bi se ravnomerno termicki obradile.

3. Secite ih neposredno pre pripreme.

• Pecurke je najbolje iseci neposredno pre kuvanja. 
• Ako ih pripremite mnogo ranije, isecene povrsine mogu da potamne usled oksidacije, a pecurke mogu izgubiti deo vlage tokom stajanja.

Kako sacuvati ukus i dobru teksturu pecuraka?

• Pre nego sto pecurke stavite u tiganj, proverite da li su dobro osusene. 
• Nemojte pretrpavati tiganj jer ce se tada lakse nakupiti tecnost, a pecurke ce se kuvati u vodi umesto da se karamelizuju tj. zapeku.
• Sacekajte da tecnost ispari i da povrsina pocne da dobija zlatnosmedju boju. Tako cete postici bolji ukus i lepsu teksturu.