Had a shrimp and shroom stir-fry. Then I sautéed and froze some. I am
drying some and I still have 7-8 pounds left.

Iynsho what's the best way to preserve Oyster mushrooms?

Mike wrote:
>
> Had a shrimp and shroom stir-fry. Then I sautéed and froze some. I am
> drying some and I still have 7-8 pounds left.
>
> Iynsho what's the best way to preserve Oyster mushrooms?

You can tear them into thin strings along
the grain (which follows the axis of the stem)
and pan fry them with very little oil over
very low heat until crunchy. I've done this
many times.

It takes a long time, and you might not think
it's worth it. They need to be stirred
frequently to keep from burning, but not too
frequently otherwise they'll break up. At the
beginning, you must use a somewhat higher heat
to boil off the water that comes out, otherwise
the mushrooms will be boiled and disintegrate
to mush.

It takes some experimentation to do it just
right. But when it's right, it's a great
snack food. They keep well, but I've seldom
been able to resist eating all of them
on the same day. They have a meaty flavor,
one of the few vegan things that do.

If fried to total crunchiness, they can be
ground to a powder with a mortar and pestle,
which can be a nice addition to soup. They
absorb moisture from the air, and must be
kept in a sealed container.