Whether you spell it portabella, portobello, or portobella, nobody can tell you you're wrong. Here's another place you can be right: when you tell someone that portabella, white mushrooms, button mushrooms, champignon mushrooms, and crimini are all actually the same fungus. The difference in color on the cap between white and crimini comes down to the specific strain of Agaricus bisporus they're cultivated from, while a portabella is simply a mature version of the same fungus. More

Have you ever tried to make a mushroom out of George Washington's head on a dollar bill? Well, we're not going to do that today, nor are we going to do the opposite, which is significantly more difficult (and altogether more impressive). Instead, we're going to learn how to cut button mushrooms into two basic shapes, which for most practical purposes, is all you need. More

Is there a right way to clean fresh mushrooms? Some would say never get a mushroom wet. Others insist it's no big deal. In my experience, the answer is "it depends on the mushroom." This slideshow will provide you with a mushroom-cleaning guideline and some storage and trimming tips. More

In this week's edition of Meet Your Farmers, we meet David Falkowski, known to Long Island locals as "Mushroom Dave." He's been growing, foraging, and selling quality mushrooms in Bridgehampton, New York, since 2003. You also may recognize him from an episode of Barefoot Contessa when Ina Garten spotlighted his oyster mushrooms in her lasagna. More

Photograph from It'sGreg on Flickr If you want to hunt for wild mushrooms but don't know where to start, the Wall Street Journal shares some advice on how to hunt for morels. Garrett Todd, a mushroom forager in Michigan, says to take your time by using your fovea, the tiny part of the eye responsible for sharp central vision. "An expert rule of thumb for morel hunting is for every one minute you walk, you should stand and look for the mushroom for six,” says Todd. Other tips include what flowers to look for as indications of morel season, and what trees they tend to grow near. Related Morels - where did I go wrong? [SE Talk, 3/18/09] Photo... More

Along with gourmet cheeses, fine wines, and heritage meats, I've recently had to cut back on my consumption of wild mushrooms. In these trying economic times I simply can't justify spending a lot of money on fancy porcinis and chanterelles. This is unfortunate because in the winter months there is nothing I love more than a warming bowl of mushroom soup. That's why I couldn’t wait to try FungusAmongUs Smoked Oyster Mushroom Chowder. At just $5.95 it promised four hearty, organic servings in only 20 minutes.... More

The Grocery Ninja leaves no aisle unexplored, no jar unopened, no produce untasted. Creep along with her below, and read all her mission reports here. The first time I spotted king oyster mushrooms at the market, I was with Mom, and she told me they were "Chicken drumsticks that grow on trees." I was seven. Of course I believed her. I was a pudgy kid—inordinately fond of braised duck, sizzling, hot plate venison, and the extra crisp, golden bits on the belly pork my grandma stir-fried with preserved mustard greens. A well-meaning aunt tried to put me on a diet while my parents were out of town, and the outcome was that I developed an abject loathing for all things... More

Few things are as alluring as the golden crust of "deep fried." Kelly Schmickle made a dinner out of frying morels in a simple beer batter and seasoning them with salt and pepper. This is definitely not what I'm having for dinner tonight, although I wish it were. Related Photo of the Day: Deep-Fried Octodogs Photo of the Day: Gorengan Photo of the Day: 'World Famous Beer Battered Onion Rings'... More

Perhaps the best use of two dollars, Meiji's Kinoko No Yama ("mountain mushrooms"), are found at even the most average Japanese market. The chocolate cap and biscuit-like cracker stem harmonize wonderfully. And the chocolate-to-cracker ratio is spot on. While the milk chocolate isn't great quality, similar to Glico's Pocky, there's something about the chocolate's density that offsets the cracker stem perfectly.... More

The Grocery Ninja leaves no aisle unexplored, no jar unopened, no produce untasted. Creep along with her below, and read her past market missions here. Has anyone else been in a situation where you bump into someone from somewhere completely fabulous—say Cambodia, or Fiji, or Mozambique—and, horror of horrors, you find, after asking them a million and one nosy questions about the food back home (questions you've always wanted to ask but could never find the right books or expertise to), that this fabulous person, with such a potentially fabulous culinary background, isn't much of a food person at all? How tragic is that? There is nothing more heartbreaking than hearing someone say, "Food schmood—it's all fuel." (I justify such... More