How to cook mushrooms in a pan

Mushrooms are delicate little fungi. They have a high water content and if you're not careful, they'll turn out more soggy than savory.

To avoid this, you'll often see that it's recommended to dab mushrooms with a damp cloth to wash them and to cook them in high heat in a single layer.

How long to cook mushrooms

So if you're used to making them by squeezing out as much liquid as possible, it may sound counterintuitive to simmer them in salted water, but you absolutely should.

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Cooking these fungi in salted water gives them a springy, almost chewy bite when done and the salt begins seasoning them early on.

It also lets them cook evenly, as opposed to going straight into a sauté, where larger mushrooms may take longer to get tender while smaller ones may get overly crisp. The key here is to use just a little bit of liquid and to cook them long enough for the water to eventually evaporate, then you can go in with your butter or oil for a sauté.

If done correctly, they won't turn soggy from soaking up all the fat you cook them in, the way the

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