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fluted mushrooms

yimay

By yimay
in Cooking

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Malawry

Malawry

Posted
Posted

To make your life difficult, if you're a culinary student. :rolleyes:

There's no way to really "turn" a mushroom--turning meaning "give a regular shape." Most vegetables are cut into seven-sided barrels when turned, but that shape won't work for a mushroom. So they're fluted instead when somebody wants to give them that extra-schmancy touch.

Rochelle Reid Myers aka "Malawry"

Diary of a Cooking School Student

Foodblog: 34 Hungry College Girls

Foodblog: Expecting a Future Culinary Student

Lots of Everything

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BeJam

BeJam

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i was just wondering about fluted mushrooms. what is the point? to show off knife skills? to create a surface for sauces to grip onto? (<-- that's not REALLY necessary is it?) i don't get it.

The answer I got at a CIA boot camp last year to the question why concasse tomatos (I was expecting to hear that the seeds impart a bitterness) was: so you can charge more. Fluting mushrooms is probably similar.

Bode

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zilla369

zilla369

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It's really very old-school. I never flute mushrooms that will be covered in sauce, usually only do them to garnish a party platter or one per plate on a mushroom dish.

Click here to review the method for fluting a mushroom cap (and how to turn vegetables, etc): eGCI Basic Knife Skills

Marsha Lynch aka "zilla369"

Has anyone ever actually seen a bandit making out?

Uh-huh: just as I thought. Stereotyping.

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fifi

fifi

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I had similar thoughts at a luncheon at a Hyatt a few months ago. The red potatoes accompanying the roast beef had been cut into mushroom shapes. That was astonishing enough. Then I noticed that the skin had been left on the "caps" and little round gouges cut out to simulate white dots on a red cap. :wacko:

Cute, but this was a luncheon for about 150 people. At about 5 potatoes (they were small) per plate . . . 750 freakin' mushrooms! We all figured that either they had too many employees with too much time on their hands or that the chef was really ticked at somebody. :biggrin:

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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cjs

cjs

Posted
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one of my most vivid memories of school. Turning veggies (hahahaha..veggies) and trying desperatly to flute frickin mushrooms!!!! never did get the hang of the mushrooms.

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ducphat30

ducphat30

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Even as a garnish it doesn't make much sense because they will discolor(on a buffet) and look less attractive than a naturaly fresh mushroom.

As someone who has fluted several hundred mushrooms, I can tell you, that you will handle the mushrooms correctly, this usually involves blanching them shortly afterwards in "un blanc" (acidulated broth). We then had to sear them golden brown. The closest comparison I could make was to when you lightly brulee meringue. It seems to highlight the curves you put in, not hide them.

Patrick Sheerin

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culinary bear

culinary bear

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Why flute mushrooms?

Because, like turning vegetables (although arguably turned vegetables are more 'useful'), young commis chefs need to learn that professional cooking should involve graft, dedication, and hard work before you get to play with the interesting stuff.

Allan Brown

"If you're a chef on a salary, there's usually a very good reason. Never, ever, work out your hourly rate."

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Gifted Gourmet

Gifted Gourmet

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As someone who has fluted several hundred mushrooms, I can tell you, that you will handle the mushrooms correctly, this usually involves blanching them shortly afterwards in "un blanc" (acidulated broth).  We then had to sear them golden brown.  The closest comparison I could make was to when you lightly brulee meringue.  It seems to highlight the curves you put in, not hide them.

Thank you for the explanation on why this makes such an attractive garnish!

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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Sam Iam

Sam Iam

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I'll try to figure out how to upload pictures (many) with my follow-up reply, and will also expand on this tomorrow.

The easiest way that I have found to flute MRs is to use the single lemon zester that will pull a strip off of a mr in a split second. It's fast, simple, an amazement to my friends on how I can flute so many mushrooms,

My wife asked me to marry her, partially for my Napolean's Chicken (with jumbo fluted mushrooms). And, she'd never seen anything flambed before.

(2 B tomorow corected for spling) :wacko:

Carpe Carp: Seize that fish!

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RETREVR

RETREVR

Posted
Posted
Even as a garnish it doesn't make much sense because they will discolor(on a buffet) and look less attractive than a naturaly fresh mushroom.

As someone who has fluted several hundred mushrooms, I can tell you, that you will handle the mushrooms correctly, this usually involves blanching them shortly afterwards in "un blanc" (acidulated broth). We then had to sear them golden brown. The closest comparison I could make was to when you lightly brulee meringue. It seems to highlight the curves you put in, not hide them.

True. It was my avoidance reflex kicking in there. Nothing looks better than one done well and nothing looks worse than one done poorly.

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Jinmyo

Jinmyo

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The easiest way that I have found to flute MRs is to use the single lemon zester that will pull a strip off of a mr in a split second. It's fast, simple, an amazement to my friends on how I can flute so many mushrooms,

Hsssst. Cheat! Defamer! No-good-nik!

(Good idea.)

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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flapjack willy

flapjack willy

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It's old school bit I think it looks neat! Years ago, we would flute them when we were ready for service but not quite open yet. It was a way to stay loose and show off to the other cooks, best way to handle them is to gently poach them in white wine or acidulated water to hold for service.

Regarding the 750 potatoes fashioned into Disney-like mushrooms, my guess is they come from Vietnam. Strange as that may sound, I offer for sale at the wholesale level a complete line of absolutely amazing vegtable side dishes and enteees that are hand made and frozen in Vietnam. I'm talking a salmon filet with a carrot fishnet layed over the filet, little carved vegtables made into small animals etc. Believe it or not they are not that exspensive but not a big seller.

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fifi

fifi

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Regarding the 750 potatoes fashioned into Disney-like mushrooms, my guess is they come from Vietnam.  Strange as that may sound, I offer for sale at the wholesale level a complete line of absolutely amazing vegtable side dishes and enteees that are hand made and frozen in Vietnam.  I'm talking a salmon filet with a carrot fishnet layed over the filet, little carved vegtables made into small animals etc.  Believe it or not they are not that exspensive but not a big seller.

Ah hah! Mystery solved. I should have figured that one out. I could not imagine doing something like that in a Hyatt kitchen. :blink:

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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