How to Dry-sautee Mushrooms for Eating or Storage!

Have a lot of mushrooms (or even a few) that you would like to save in the freezer, or mushrooms you would like to eat now without the water they contain diluting your dish? Dry Sautee them first!

Dry Sauteeing them will bring out their true flavor, while ridding them of the water that can make delicate dishes like souflees limp and soggy.
For some mushrooms, like these chanterelles, dry sauteeing is the only way to make them truly edible. This instructable will show you how!

Step 1: Aquire and Clean Mushrooms

Get your boyfriend's dad to give you 5+ pounds of wild chanterelle mushrooms.
(I admit this step could be difficult.)
Failing this, hunt for your own wild mushrooms with a mushroom expert, or buy them at the store. Any kind of mushrooms will work, including those plain old white ones. (this makes even regular ones taste good).

Sort, trim and clean the mushrooms you buy/find. If they are wild (like these) you may need to trim out the rotten spots and brush off forest dirt.

Step 2: Chop 'em Up

Dice your mushrooms into small chunks with a good sharp knife.
Keep in mind that when you sautee them they will shrink significantly!

Step 3: Sautee Away

Put your diced mushrooms into a pan and turn the heat to medium. You will need to stir to keep them from burning!
As you cook them, water will be drawn out of the mushrooms.
Cook them on medium until all of the water is gone from the pan.

Step 4: Save Them for Later, If You Can...

Mushrooms prepared this way can be used for a variety of things: filling for ravioli or souflees, tossed with fresh pasta and butter, stirred into rissotto or soups, tossed with salads etc. The dry-sautee brings out a rich meaty flavor in mushrooms that goes well with most typical mushroom dishes.

I managed to save some of mine in the freezer for non-chanterelle season (difficult).
enjoy!