5 Easy Mushroom Recipes for Absolute Beginners

If you've never cooked mushrooms before, the good news is they're one of the most forgiving ingredients in the kitchen. Here are five ways to start, roughly in order of simplicity.

1. Butter-garlic sauté: slice button mushrooms, cook in butter with minced garlic on medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes until golden. Season with salt and pepper at the end, not before — salt draws out water early and stops them browning properly.

2. Mushroom toast: sauté as above, pile onto buttered toast with a crack of black pepper. A five-minute breakfast that tastes like more effort than it is.

3. Mushroom omelette: fold sautéed mushrooms into eggs just before they finish cooking.

4. Grilled portobello: brush whole portobello caps with oil, grill 4 minutes each side — works as a steak substitute.

5. Simple mushroom soup: sauté mushrooms and onion, blend with stock and a splash of cream. Ready in 20 minutes.