Most people always seem to want fresh produce, meat, fruits and even mushrooms,
but what if I told you that dried mushrooms have WAY more flavor than fresh mushrooms?
I didn’t believe it myself when I first heard it, I thought, “oh it is just because the bulk of mushrooms are water, and when you remove the water it will seem like you get more flavor.”
But I was wrong!
Dried mushrooms can have an incredibly more powerful flavor profile with new flavor chemicals that did not exist before in the fresh mushrooms!
When fresh mushrooms are dried with hot air it will cause the “Maillard Reaction”, which is the browning reaction in cooking that makes amazing flavor.
It is when the sugars react with proteins in certain dry high temp conditions.
A good example most people are familiar with is caramelized onions which go from a strong intense raw onion flavor to an incredibly sweet unique deliciousness.
Mushrooms undergo this type of reaction only during drying at hot enough temperature.
and than become nature's stock cube. There is so much amazing flavor stashed away in it, ready to use whenever you want. They are shelf stable for years as long as you keep them dry, so no worry about being rushed to use them. They are also perfect for hiking, camping trips when you want to pack light weight.
Now that is all fine and dandy, it has more flavor, but what about TEXTURE!!??
With Dried meats and vegetables you can’t rehydrate and restore them back to its original texture, they are very off, and often unpleasant, That is why most often dehydrated meats, vegetables, dairy, etc must be "Freeze Dried" which is an expensive time consuming process, you will pay big bucks for freeze dried ready foods.
This is NOT the case with mushrooms. They rehydrate remarkably well and retain the some delicious meaty textures mushrooms are adored for.
Additionally you can use powdered mushroom as a mushroom seasoning to sprinkle on foods and recipes very easily too. So for people that don’t really like the texture of mushrooms but want the flavor and benefits of it, this is a perfect option. A tiny pack can make a huge difference in the flavor profile of your dish.
Now if that wasn’t all amazing enough, mushrooms that have spent some time drying in the sun will also absorb Vit D and store it which is perfect for us Canadian folk who have long winters with less time in the sun. It is nature's Vit D supplement!
Now finally, what about nutritional properties? Well this will be extremely complex to try and answer extensively, there are thousands of many micro and rare nutrients in mushrooms, but from what I know, most of all the important compounds that they are known to have are heat stable and still there after being dried.
I would argue that fresh ultimately overall would have more of the medicinal compounds, but to make this a deal breaker against not using dried mushrooms I think would be silly.
I think I made a formidable case that dehydrated mushrooms might be better than fresh mushrooms. Maybe I will have to conduct a Pepsi style experiment to get to the bottom of it,
OR Maybe you can find out for yourself and order both dried and fresh mushrooms from me and let Me know what You think!
Mush Love Y’all
-Dan The Mushroom Man
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