Mushrooms

Earthy, savoury and naturally rich in umami.

Fibre, B vitamins for energy, and selenium for cell protection. Sit them in sunlight for 15 minutes before cooking and they'll also generate a useful hit of vitamin D — one of the few non-animal sources.

Look for firm mushrooms with dry surfaces.

Avoid slimy or heavily bruised mushrooms.

Store in a paper bag in the fridge.

Plastic traps moisture and shortens their life.

Roasting, frying, sauces, soups, stocks, risotto and stir fries.

Mushrooms are mostly water. The trick to cooking them well is to NOT crowd the pan and NOT salt them early. Both make them release water and steam instead of brown.

Wash vs don't wash: a quick rinse under cold water is fine if you cook them straight away. They don't soak up appreciable amounts of water. The "never wash mushrooms" rule is a myth — wipe them if they're clean, rinse them if they're gritty.

Dried mushrooms (porcini especially) are a different ingredient. Rehydrate them in hot water and you get the mushrooms AND a deeply savoury liquid that goes into stock, sauce, or risotto. Don't throw the soaking water away — it's half the point.

Supermarket button, chestnut, and Portobello are the same mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) at three different ages. Older means stronger flavour.