Chef Robert here for Mushrooms in Schools.
In our last video, we learned about the most
common knives we’d use in our kitchens for
preparing fresh mushrooms, how to care for
our knives so they’re always sharp and ready
to use, and we went over some of the most
common knife cuts for fresh mushrooms!
When it comes to school meals, quality is
key! But, we have another important factor
to remember too: prep time. If we can’t
produce a high-quality meal in a reasonable
amount of time, then we’re going to have
problems! We know when those kids come to
us from class, they are hungry and ready to
eat, so we had better be ready.
Sometimes it can feel a little overwhelming
when we begin introducing more scratch-made
recipes into our menus. It may mean more
ingredients, more steps, and more cooking
time. So in this video I’m going to offer
some tips and tricks for speeding up production
of your mushroom recipes, because who doesn’t
love saving a little bit of time?
In the previous video, we discussed using fresh,
unprocessed mushrooms. When you look to speed
up prep, the easiest answer is, you outsource
it by purchasing a value added product. There
are a variety of fresh, refrigerated mushrooms
that can be easier to incorporate. Often,
when looking at yield, the pre-processed mushrooms
can be a great value too. Check with your
distributor or produce house for their lineup
of mushrooms but usually you are going to
find some general sizes and types available.
First, let's start with the jumbo. These are a little more expensive and used mainly for stuffing, which is not
often seen in school meals, but I use them
in catering frequently instead of buying premade ones.
Button mushrooms are also at a premium, and
are generally used whole and can be sauteed,
roasted or marinated raw. And a little reminder, buttons are not a variety, they are a size!
Medium Fancy are sized and consistent for
use. They’re easier to slice and portion
since they’re similar in size, and the cooking
times are consistent. They aren’t a bad
cost, and nice to use in our programs since
we know some kids like each bite of their
meal to be the same size and shape! These
are definitely going to be the workhorse in
your operation and are the most common size
I see in schools.
Foodservice mushrooms are more of a random
size and generally not as pretty as the others.
This is price effective if you have equipment
to process it on and a skilled culinary staff.
Now, for value added products, you can get
sliced mushrooms, often already washed and
some with added vitamin D. The thick sliced
mushrooms are great for roasting and adding
to stir fry’s or using fresh on the salad
bar. These are the ones referred to in the
FBG with about 7 slices crediting for a ¼
cup other vegetable.
The thin sliced mushrooms I have fallen in
love with! These mushrooms come in a bucket,
5 pounds per pail and ready to use in any
gravy, sauce or soup! The super thin cut helps
the mushrooms melt into the sauce or gravy.
Many districts are offering vegetarian soup
options, which is a great menu addition, but
the flavors can be flat with the sodium limits
we have. So, adding these thin mushrooms really
boost the flavors of your options!
Either of these slices can go on pizzas or
on toppings bars. The thick retains its bite,
the thin has great coverage and folds into
dishes easier.
Portabellas are sold with the diameter
noted, 3 - 4 inch or 4 - 5 inch are the most
common. There is no separate yield in the
Food Buying Guide for Portabellas, so we need
to use the yield for how you are serving them,
such as sliced, cooked, etc. Some directors
are using these only for catering options
since they are more costly, but as vegetarian
and vegan options become more common, these
beauties are finding a home in our school
meals. You can stuff these and serve them
whole or in wedges, or you can slice and the
yield offers great plate or bun coverage.
In general, you do not want to prep mushrooms
in advance of food prep as oxidation does
occur. That is where the pre-sliced options
really help. A best practice is that you are
going to use the mushrooms the same day that
you process them.
Now, the knife skills we discussed earlier
really come into play here. With the medium
mushrooms, I love to use my paring knife to
wedge or slice them in half. If chopping them,
the chef’s knife is my chosen tool. I can
go to town on the mushrooms but the result
is random sizing. Great for mixing into stir
fry or using in rice or pasta dishes.
Your paring knife is the one that will give
you the best finished product, and it will
surprise you how quickly you can produce wedges
or halves. But, the convenience of the pre-sliced
can even beat my knife skills.
As we mentioned in an earlier video, you can
always purchase frozen diced or sliced mushrooms
commercially, which can also help cut down
on prep time!
Using a food processor.
I have sliced mushrooms on a slicer, in a
robot coupe, and have even shredded them using a cheese grater on the mixing bowl! If you
want to blend into meats, the food processor
does a great job. You may use a food processor
for slicing, dicing, and chopping. Even
purées! You must have the proper blades for
each application. The size of your mushroom
will also determine the type of cut you go
for. And note, blenders do not work for mushrooms.
Finally, let’s discuss batch cooking. This
method of cooking is preferred since you do
not want to cook too far in advance, trying
to hold food for three lunch periods. Consider
the timing for prepping, cooking, and serving
when using batch cooking. But we all know
that there are times and places where we need
to hold food, and that is where adding mushrooms
to your entrees really shows its beauty. Those
mushrooms are little sponges and will help
hold onto the moisture!
I hope these tips gave you some ideas for
how to speed up prep time and make it easy
to incorporate mushrooms regularly into meals.
Thank you for watching!
