Dry mushrooms are one of the essential pantry items of accomplished chefs, adding an umami kick to soups, braises, stir fries and desserts alike. But how long should you soak your dried mushrooms before they’re ready to use? Are there ways of rehydrating them that extract more flavor while simultaneously decreasing grit content?

Clean and rehydrating dried mushrooms is key to getting the most from them, with thinly sliced varieties usually taking only 20-30 minutes, while thicker or whole cap varieties could take longer. Once rinsing under cold water to remove any dirt or debris left from drying, followed by submersion in hot or boiling water will ensure they regain their full potency.

Step two of mushroom prep involves straining out the soaking liquid. This can be accomplished using either a strainer or coffee filter in the sink to separate richly-flavored soaking liquid from any remaining grit in your mushrooms, leaving behind only delicious-tasting stock that you can either discard or save to use later as part of another recipe.

Some people prefer using room temperature water rather than hot or boiling water to rehydrate mushrooms, believing that hot water extracts more of their flavor than room temperature does. If using this liquid as stock though, then heating it slightly will ensure any grit has been eliminated from settling out and can reduce flavor loss.

Once rehydrated, mushrooms must be washed and chopped prior to adding them into recipes that require rehydrated mushrooms. It is generally best to treat rehydrated mushrooms as though they were fresh – for instance if your recipe calls for 3 ounces of fresh mushrooms, use 9 ounces of dried ones instead.

One excellent use for dried tea tree mushrooms is in Vietnamese pho, where their earthy and woody flavors pair beautifully with the spicy notes of Vietnamese chiles and aromatic basil. Vegetarian-friendly variations of this dish can easily be created with pork ribs or soup bones swapped out for pork ribs and some extra vegetable stock; then simply top it off with some garnishing such as scallions and cilantro for decoration – you won’t be disappointed with what awaits you! So give dried tea tree mushrooms a try next time you are cooking up something different or wanting something a little different for dinner; you won’t regret it!