The Simple Trick to Keep Mushrooms Fresh for over a Week
I am a mushroom lover. I could eat them every day, roasting them to toss into grain bowls, folding them into omelets, and blending them into soups. My husband, on the other hand, doesn’t care for mushrooms. So, in our household of two, I often find myself with more mushrooms than I can get through before they start to turn, becoming darker, spongier, and slightly slimy (yuck!).
I had basically resigned myself to a life of throwing out the ends of mushroom packages until I did a little digging and found out that my problem was not that I wasn’t eating them fast enough. It was that I wasn’t storing the mushrooms correctly. Like many people (I’m sure), I had been simply storing mushrooms in my refrigerator in their original packaging which, as it turns out, is less than ideal. The key to keeping my precious mushrooms fresh for as long as possible is storing them in a brown paper bag with a paper towel.
Why Storing Mushrooms in a Paper Bag Works So Well
Mushrooms can be quick to spoil because they have a very high moisture content. Storing them in their supermarket packaging (in a plastic container, wrapped in plastic) only serves to trap moisture, which contributes to quicker spoilage. I also wasn’t doing myself any favors by regularly throwing them in the crisper drawer, which is typically the most humid part of the fridge.
Storing mushrooms in a breathable paper bag allows for much better air flow and creates a less damp environment for the mushrooms. The paper towel draws even more moisture away from the mushrooms themselves, allowing them to last up to 10 days(!), instead of the 3 or 4 I was used to. Now I never have to worry about getting through a package of mushrooms, because I know I have plenty of time before they’ll be in danger of spoiling. Give it a try the next time you have extra mushrooms.
Tips for Storing Mushrooms
Avoid the crisper drawer. The crisper drawer is designed to create a humid environment, which is great for leafy greens, but not so great for mushrooms. Store mushrooms on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator instead.
For short-term storage, the original package is fine. If you’re planning on eating your mushrooms within a day or two (or even three) of purchasing them, it’s fine to keep them in their original packaging, which is designed to breathe, but also be durable enough for shipping. If you want your mushrooms to stay fresh for a week or more, or if you purchased loose mushrooms, it’s worth the effort to transfer them to a paper bag lined with a paper towel.
Further Reading
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