Mondo Knows Facts
Mushrooms brown only after their water boils off
A hot pan full of mushrooms steams long before it sears
Fresh mushrooms are roughly ninety per cent water, so a crowded pan stalls at simmering point while the moisture escapes. Once the surface water is gone the temperature can rise above the boiling point and Maillard browning begins. Salting early draws out more water and lengthens the process, which is why many cooks wait.
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Tags: mushrooms, browning, cooking
Mushrooms brown only after their water boils off: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- A hot pan full of mushrooms steams long before it sears. The figure is taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
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