Q: For us, mushrooms are mushrooms, but recent studies have shown that mushrooms can be more meat than vegetables. My vegan friends began to feel uneasy because of this piece of news. How come they eat mushrooms and their bodies consume meat? Some of them refuse the mushrooms I cooked, and the rest do not. I’m telling this because I was going to microwave mushrooms for my guests when they told me it was meat and they didn’t eat it. OK, I still want to know how to microwave mushrooms for myself.
What Can Mushrooms Do to Our Health?
Mushrooms are a unique product with not only special taste properties, but also low calorie and great benefits.
In the structure of mushrooms, there is a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, proteins and valuable amino acids.
Thanks to the rich composition, mushrooms are as useful as vegetables and protein products of animal origin.
Why are vegetarians unable to decide whether mushrooms are vegetables or meat?
According to the composition of minerals, mushrooms can be equated to fruits, and by the number and composition of carbohydrates to vegetables.
By the amount of protein, mushrooms are superior to meat; therefore, sometimes they are called “forest meat”.
For people who do not consume animal proteins, mushrooms are one of the main sources of these valuable compounds.
Mushrooms are good for the nervous system and vessels.
They maintain hair, skin, and nails in good condition.
In terms of the content of Vitamin B, mushrooms are much healthier than some vegetables and cereals.
Along with the great benefits, mushrooms can also do some harm.
No need to remind you that some kinds of mushrooms are poisonous and extremely dangerous. Do not collect mushrooms yourself if you are not 100% sure of the quality. Buy them in the store, so you will have a certain guarantee that you can eat them.
Part of the vitamin compounds in the mushrooms is destroyed by high temperatures, so it is more useful to eat them pickled or dried.
How to Dry Mushrooms in the Microwave Oven?
Some of the edible mushrooms are not appropriate for drying at home.
These are the types of mushrooms you can dry yourself:
- Truffle
- Morel
- Red-capped and brown-capped boletus
- Butter mushroom
- Fungus
- Honey fungus
- Velvet foot
- Prickly cup
- White mushroom
- Chanterelle mushroom
If you want to accelerate the process of drying mushrooms, use the microwave oven.
Prepare the mushrooms for drying: try to wipe all the dirt as carefully as possible so that you do not need to wash them. Washing the mushrooms complicates their drying and promotes rapid darkening.
If possible, sun-dry the mushrooms a little bit first.
Cut clean, fresh or sun-dried mushrooms into roughly equal pieces.
The caps are usually cut into slices and the stems in circles.
If you are going to dry honey fungus, chanterelles or butter mushrooms, it makes sense to leave caps only.
Spread the prepared pieces of mushrooms evenly on a glass pan or a heat-resistant dish. Dry for 20 minutes at 100-180 Watt.
After that, take out the dishes, drain the discharged liquid (otherwise the mushrooms will not dry but cook in the microwave), leave the oven door open for about 5 minutes for airing.
Repeat the previous 20-minute cycle of microwaving and airing several more times. The number of cycles depends on the size, grade, and thickness of the pieces.
When the mushrooms are elastic and flexible, but can’t be broken at once, it means they are dried well.
In case you have overdried your mushrooms, don’t get upset. Blend them in a coffee-mill and you’ll receive a great mushroom seasoning.
10-Minute Marinated Mushrooms in the Microwave
Ingredients:
Mushrooms (small) – 500 g
Olive oil – 2 tbs
Lemon juice – 2 tbs
Garlic – 2 cloves
Dry white wine – ½ glass
Parsley – 1 bunch
Oregano – 1 tsp
Salt
Pepper
Preparation:
Mix all the ingredients for the pickle (except for parsley) in the heat-resistant container and microwave for 3 minutes at full power.
Add mushrooms and part of parsley and microwave for 3 minutes more. Stir once.
Let it sit under the lid for 2 minutes.
Cool the mushrooms and sprinkle with the rest of parsley.
It has never been so easy.
