How to Tell if Mushrooms are Bad?

Mushrooms are nutritious, delicious, and versatile food items. They alone can add intense flavors to any dish, thus making it more delectable to your taste buds. Many people call them their iffy food. You can grill them, fry them, stir them, and also mix them with other vegetables to prepare some of the most appetizing dishes.

While some people are fond of eating mushrooms, others stay away from savoring them. It is because certain species of mushrooms are poisonous to eat. Not only this, but they also have hallucinogenic effects on the brain and body. Besides this, the shelf-life of mushrooms is very short. When they become bad, they make you sick. No matter how much you wash or boil them, bad mushrooms are never healthy to eat.

So, how do you spot if a mushroom has gone bad and is unhealthy to eat? Here are some signs:

They Become Slimy 

The most obvious sign of a bad mushroom is that it becomes slimy. You can easily detect the freshness of mushrooms with their appearance. Sliminess in mushrooms occurs when they sit in your fridge for a very long time.

Do not try to cook these mushrooms; they are harmful to your gut.

They Smell Bad 

If you have kept mushrooms in your fridge and want to cook them for dinner, do not start preparing the dish before smelling them. If the mushroom smells normal, it is good to cook. But if it emits an odor, stop cooking it.

When mushrooms turn stale, they start smelling bad. In this situation, it is a good idea to throw them in your dustbin.

They Get Wrinkled 

Another common sign of differentiating between a fresh mushroom and a bad one is its appearance. If the skin of the mushroom gets wrinkled, it is of no use.

They Look Darker than Normal 

If your mushrooms have started looking darker than normal, it’s time to bid them goodbye. Dark spots are a sign that your mushrooms have been infected by fungi. The dark spots in mushrooms start appearing on their caps. The stems and gills start going slimy. Even when shopping for fresh mushrooms from the market, check their color.

They Become Moldy 

Moisture is the biggest enemy of mushrooms. When you put them in the fridge for a long time, they get moldy. A single moldy mushroom ends up spreading its mold to the remaining ones. Do not use such mushrooms for cooking as they may harm your health.

How to Keep Mushrooms Fresh? 

• To keep your mushrooms fresh and dry for a long time, store them in plastic bags. Wrap a paper towel around them to keep them dry.
• Always clean the mushroom before storing them. Wash them with water and dry them enough before storing them in your fridge.
• You can also store the mushrooms in a plastic bowl and wrap a cling foil to store them properly.

We hope that by now you understand differentiating between a fresh and stale mushroom. For more on food, lifestyle, and health, keep in touch.