— Melissa Bryant

Well, you know, I live, uh, maybe 20 miles from the mushroom capital of the world, Kenneth Square, Pennsylvania, and have oftentimes interviewed mushroom farmers and have asked that question. So we'll go back when you're at the grocery store, do not buy the mushrooms that are encased in that little blue pint container and never buy the ones that are previously sliced because they are now exposed to so much air that by time you get them home to use them for your assignment, they are almost blackened so that when you get to the saute stage, they almost become black and your finished product, rather than being that beautiful mahogany brown that you're seeking for caramelization, a stale mushroom will turn black because of oxidation and other things. So I suggest to, um, go to the loose bin, whether it be cremini or even a white button. And if you wanna get, you know, wild and get some trumpet or whatever, um, that's fine. But the minute that you get home, take them out of the plastic bag and put them into a brown paper bag because they suffocate when they are in a plastic bag and they breathe free and easy when they're in a brown paper bag. Keeps them in the back of the refrigerator where you have the most constant temperature. And that's good. So you're good to go with that. And, um, if they're aging, I uh, happen to, um, pop off the stems and we'll sometimes cut them into little coins and saute them as well and then save any leftovers into that freezer bag, uh, in my freezer for making, um, uh, a stock. So that's the mushroom question is always a great question. The most important thing is buy them fresh and store them in a brown paper bag.