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Whether you’re serving them to kids or adults, mushrooms are usually treated as an unusual-looking ingredient. But despite the lackluster reception to edible fungi, there’s no denying that mushrooms are a tasty superfood even if they’re considered an acquired taste.

If you want to make your loved ones eat more mushrooms, especially picky eaters, try changing the way you cook them. According to Jim Fuller, an American chef, the secret lies in boiling mushrooms like pasta. How’s that for an unusual cooking hack?

Who’s up for boiled mushrooms?

Even if you think they look and taste weird, you’ve probably eaten mushrooms if you’ve tried pizza, salads or sandwiches.

Mushrooms are usually served fried or grilled, but you won’t draw out their savory and earthy taste by cooking them that way. Fuller says you’re cooking mushrooms wrong if you find their taste forgettable or their texture unlikable.

Chef Jim Fuller, the co-founder of Fable, a plant-based food company, shared that the secret to tasty mushrooms is boiling them the way you’d boil pasta for dinner.

Fuller, who is also an experienced mushroom farmer, posted a video tutorial on his Instagram of the method that will give mushrooms a “delicious, earthy and meaty” flavor.

It starts with boiling your chosen mushrooms and cooking the water out of them. Fuller suggests adding water as you cook until your mushrooms are boiled to perfection.

You should boil the mushrooms for several minutes until the stalks look browned and have an al dente texture like boiled pasta. Once the mushrooms have browned, let the water evaporate before you add some olive oil.

Give the mushrooms a nutrient- and flavor-boost by adding aromatic ingredients like garlic or shallots. Fuller says you shouldn’t worry about having mushy mushrooms since you’re only frying and cooking the outside of the mushrooms. As you keep cooking, the mushrooms will remain tasty and intact.

Saute or stir fry the mushrooms, then season with salt before serving.

Better (and healthier) than grilling or frying

Mushrooms are made up of 90 percent water. Fuller says that the boiling method is better because it ensures that the cooked mushrooms only release a bit of liquid.

Letting the added water evaporate lets you concentrate the flavorful liquid in the mushrooms. Fuller also says that boiling is a healthier cooking method than frying or grilling.

When you fry mushrooms, you start with oil that replaces the water inside the mushrooms. Frying also makes your pan dry up, forcing you to add more cooking oil.

But when you boil mushrooms, you can perfectly cook your mushrooms before adding a bit of oil. The oil you add after boiling stays on the outside and helps caramelize and flavor the mushrooms as they brown or undergo the Maillard reaction because of the high heat.

Like frying, grilling can ruin mushrooms because it “liberates” the water and doesn’t catch and concentrate the flavor of your dish. While grilling lets you caramelize part of the mushrooms, the soluble proteins and fibers in the mushrooms leach out.

Now that you know how to cook mushrooms properly, boil a batch and add some flavorful spices to surprise your loved ones with a tasty and savory dish.

The surprising health benefits of savory mushrooms

White foods get a bad rap, with items like white bread considered nutrient-poor.

However, mushrooms are a tasty exception. According to Mitzi Dulan, a registered dietitian and the author of “The Pinterest Diet,” mushrooms are full of minerals, such as copper, iron, phosphorus, potassium and selenium. These nutrients aren’t usually found in plant-based foods.

Give mushrooms a chance and eat them regularly to enjoy these health benefits.

They can boost your heart health

Mushrooms are a more savory and healthier alternative to salt because the former contains glutamate ribonucleotides that give them their unique umami taste.

So the next time you cook, boil some mushrooms instead of reaching for the salt to make your dish more savory and nutritious. A one-cup serving of mushrooms only has 5 mg sodium.

You can also replace red meat with juicy and delicious mushrooms to cut down on your calories, fat and cholesterol intake.

They can help fight aging

In a 2017 study, researchers from Penn State University found that mushrooms are rich in two antioxidants: ergothioneine and glutathione.

When ergothioneine and glutathione are present together, they work to protect you from the physiological stress that causes visible signs of aging like wrinkles.

Who knew you can fight wrinkles naturally by eating a serving of mushrooms regularly?

They can help maintain brain health later in life

The two antioxidants ergothioneine and glutathione can help prevent Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

The Penn State scientists who conducted the 2017 study suggest consuming five button mushrooms daily to minimize your risk of developing neurological diseases as you age.

They’re an energy-boosting superfood

Mushrooms are full of B vitamins, such as:

• Thiamine (vitamin B1)
• Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
• Niacin (vitamin B3)
• Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5)
• Folate (vitamin B9)

These B vitamins help your body utilize energy from the food you eat and produce red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout your body.

They promote bone strength

Did you know that savory mushrooms are also a natural source of vitamin D?

When buying mushrooms, look for packages marked “UVB,” which indicates that they were exposed to sunlight during their growth period. Some mushrooms are grown in the dark.

UVB-exposed mushrooms convert a compound called ergosterol directly into vitamin D. Eating 3 ounces of UVB-exposed mushrooms can help you meet your daily vitamin D requirement, as well as benefit your bone health.

More ways to enjoy mushrooms

So what’s next now that you have the secret to healthier and tastier mushrooms in your hands? Add more antioxidant-rich mushrooms to your diet! Doing so will let you reap the many benefits these tasty superfoods have to offer!

Not sure where to start? Try the suggestions below:

• Cut up small mushrooms, then add them to omelets, quiches or scrambled eggs served for breakfast or brunch.
• Craving something crunchy? Make some mushroom chips and dip them in a warm pesto sauce.
• Chop mushrooms until they match the consistency of ground beef, then blend them into the meat you’re cooking. This is a quick and sneaky way of getting your kids to eat more mushrooms.
• Add sliced mushrooms to pasta sauce, lasagna or soups and stews to naturally add flavor and texture to any savory dish.
• Make healthier, meat-free sandwiches by substituting Portobello mushrooms for unhealthy meats like salty bacon.

Make mealtimes more umami by boiling mushrooms before lightly sauteing them in a bit of olive oil. Who can say no to savory superfoods like mushrooms?

Sources:

DailyStar.co.uk

GoodHousekeeping.com

FruitsAndVeggies.org