Julia Child's Secret To Perfectly Sauteed Mushrooms

Who doesn't love a good sautéed mushroom? Well, outside of people who don't really like mushrooms at all, that is. If you've ever tried to sauté your own at home, you may have run into some of the most common mushroom-related pitfalls, like a pile of mushrooms that are just soggy and kind of sad instead of nicely browned with a highly concentrated, delectably moreish flavor. If you're wondering how to upgrade your sautéed mushrooms like a pro, we would be remiss not to mention the queen of the kitchen herself, Julia Child. She had a secret for sautéed mushrooms because she had something up her sleeve for just about everything in the kitchen, but in this case it's a pretty easy one: Spread your mushrooms out.

The reason behind this is simple. Mushrooms have a whole bunch of water in them, so if you cook them all together and crowd the pan, you'll just end up steaming your mushrooms instead of frying them to their full deliciousness. This means the juices (and all of those lovely earthy flavors) will evaporate right into the air, leaving you with mushrooms that are soggy and tasteless instead of perfectly browned and beautifully robust in flavor. To prevent this from happening, you simply need to make sure that your mushrooms have enough space so that they can all touch the bottom of the pan at the same time. Sometimes, this might even mean cooking your mushrooms in batches, but the extra effort is definitely worth it.

Julia Child had a few other tips and tricks for perfectly sautéed mushrooms, too. And luckily, all of them are reasonably easy to utilize. First: Your mushrooms should ideally be as dry as possible, which may even require dabbing them with a clean towel prior to frying. This is because mushrooms, like a sponge, will soak up extra water content, which makes it harder for you to draw out those all-important juices and get that nicely-seared end result. The legendary chef also advocated for frying in piping hot butter, which helps you cook off any moisture faster too. Basically, you should keep the heat medium to medium-high as long as there's still moisture present.

Meanwhile, don't go ham with the stirring, as tempting as it is at times. Always let your mushrooms sit for a few minutes, allowing the moisture to cook off and imparting that delicious brown color and deep flavor. Once you've mastered the fine art of sautéing your mushrooms, it's time to put that knowledge into practice. Pentoshi mushrooms in garlic butter would be a good place to start, while this savory mushroom stew recipe is a real winner as the colder months begin. The best part about sautéed mushrooms is that they go well with just about any protein or veggie, so don't be afraid to get creative with your combos to get the most out of them.