On Thu, 20 May 2004 19:40:16 -0500, Arsenio Oloroso
> wrote:

>Cloud ears. Tree ears. "Dried fungus," "dried vegetable." What's the
>difference?

Also, "Wood Ears". They're all the same.

There's a white fungus (white jelly, silver ear, silver fungus)
out there too, which is thinner and less crunchy. Used a lot in
soups and even some liquid refreshments.

>Can anyone enlighten as to what to look for in purchasing this ingredient?

Just look for unbroken, even black tops and unblemished brown/tan
undersides. Nicely trimmed at the root end, whole ones always
require trimming of the stump. It's pretty hard to go wrong -
I've never got a bad batch. I can even get them fresh, but
there's no advantage to this unless you like paying 10X than for
dried.

Always rehydrate less than you think you'll need.

-sw