Perfect Fried Mushrooms, Without Butter

     Fried mushrooms should be slightly browned (not overcooked or mushy), and they should still have all their juice.  Mushrooms being rather porous, there are a variety of ways to miss this target.

     The first step you need to get right is cleaning the mushrooms.  Certain purists will insist mushrooms should not be washed, merely wiped off ("polished"), so that they will not become waterlogged.  There is a point to this, but it seems like a lot of time to spend prepping mushrooms that are presumably not that clean when you get done. While soaking mushrooms is a really bad idea, they don't really pick up so much water if you wash them one by one under a tap. Afterward you can spread them out on paper towels and let them sit for a few minutes to dry off.

     3 Tb. oil (See Oil in the 

          Glossary)
     1/2 lb. mushrooms
     (optional) 2 green onions, 
         sliced fine
     salt (See Salt in the 

          Glossary)
     black pepper (See Spices 

          in the Glossary)

     Mushrooms can be halved or quartered if they're small; slicing is always fine.

     It is essential to use really hot oil, so use an oil that can stand high heat (and to which you are not allergic, of course). I like safflower oil for the purpose.

     The conventional technique for making sure the oil is hot enough is to use about half butter: when the butter starts foaming, the oil is hot enough.  You really don't need dairy products to get your oil hot though.

     Put the oil in a sufficiently large skillet that the mushrooms will not be crowded. If you want to fry a lot of mushrooms, do them in batches. 

Seriously, don't crowd the mushrooms in the pan. Also, don't be
alarmed when the oil all disappears at first.

     Turn the heat to medium high and add one mushroom slice to the skillet.  Do not throw the rest of the mushrooms in as soon as it starts to sizzle: patience is required here.  Wait until it browns slightly on one side, turn it over, and let the other side brown too.  Now dredge it out and throw in the rest of the mushrooms. Stir rapidly at first so that the oil coats the mushrooms more or less evenly.  Do not be alarmed that the mushrooms immediately soak up all the oil.  Do not add more oil. Gently stir the mushrooms around the skillet until the oil comes back out to the surface of the mushrooms and fries them.  When they are slightly browned and just about done, add the onions (if you're going to) and let the onions cook for a minute or two, until they are softened up a bit.

     Add salt and black pepper to taste. Note that if you add the salt while the mushrooms are cooking their juices will run out in the pan: the mushrooms will then boil instead of frying.

Variations: Try garlic scapes, garlic greens, or chives in place of the onions.