17 Types Of Mushrooms And What They Are Used For

White button mushrooms are the perfect choice for everyday cooking. They're easy to work with, readily available, and oftentimes delicious. According to Mushroom Appreciation, white buttons also last longer than your average mushroom species, so you can keep these in your fridge for about a week before they go bad. 

White button mushrooms are versatile, too, meaning that it's easy to throw them into any recipe that needs a little extra umami flavor. The most basic approach to cooking this mushroom variety is sautéing them with oil over medium-high heat, but other preparation methods yield just as tasty a meal. Mushroom Appreciation recommends grilling, marinating, or topping off meat or pizza with these little fungi.

Like many raw mushrooms, white buttons do contain small amounts of carcinogens. According to the Vegetarian Times, these toxins are eliminated with heat, so cooking your mushrooms before eating them is generally a good practice. Still, you'll often come across raw mushrooms in salads, and you should rest assured that ingesting a few here and there is unlikely to do lasting damage. But if you want to be extra safe, you can always sauté them for a few minutes — they'll taste better, anyway!

As one of the most popular mushrooms in the world, shiitakes add a deep, earthy flavor to meals. Shiitake mushrooms grow in the wild on rotting wood logs, where their caps can get as big as 10 inches across, according to MasterClass. These mushrooms have been used for cooking in Japan and China for centuries, while in recent years, scientific advances have made it easier to grow them. Today, shiitakes you find at the grocery may have been grown on corncobs, sunflower seed hulls, or other food waste products (via MasterClass). 

When cooking shiitakes, it's important to first cut the stems from the caps. According to MasterClass, the stems take a bit longer to cook, and if they aren't given enough time to soften, they'll be hard to chew. If you want to use both the stems and the caps in one dish, begin cooking the stems for a few minutes, then add the caps. 

Sautéing or stir-frying are the easiest ways to cook shiitakes, both of which utilize the stovetop and a little oil. MasterClass recommends storing these mushrooms in a damp kitchen towel in the refrigerator to keep them fresh for as long as possible.

Enoki mushrooms are most commonly found in specialty grocery stores. While they're becoming more common in American supermarkets, it's still somewhat rare to come across these clustered mushrooms. 

Enoki mushrooms have very long stems and small caps, making them look like clumps of grass or noodles. They're popular in Japanese and Chinese cuisine, and you've likely come across them in ramen or hot pot dishes. According to A Couple Cooks, these mushrooms have a mild, savory flavor, while the stems can be crunchy if they're eaten raw. 

When cooking enoki mushrooms, you'll want to keep in mind that they cook quickly due to their smaller size (via Yummy Mummy). A saute or stir-fry method works well here or, if you're making ramen or another stew, you can add the enokis during the last few minutes of cooking. Store these mushrooms as you would others — in a paper bag in the fridge, to avoid moisture buildup.

Porcini mushrooms are a common ingredient in many types of French and Italian cuisine. If you've ever had savory mushroom risotto, porcinis likely played a role in that delicious dish. According to MasterClass, these mushrooms grow naturally in forests across the Northern Hemisphere of our planet, in places as varied as North America, Europe, and Asia.

Porcini mushrooms have thick stems and brown caps that can grow up to a foot in diameter, per GroCycle. However, it's far more likely that the porcinis you'll find in stores or restaurants are just a couple of inches across their caps. MasterClass notes that these mushrooms are renowned for their nutty taste, which makes them a popular ingredient in meats, sauces, and broths. They are often used in vegetarian recipes to pack extra flavor into meatless meals.

To wash porcinis, you'll want to use a paper towel. Try to avoid washing them with water, as these mushrooms don't hold up well to excess moisture. Store them in a loose paper bag in the refrigerator and use them as soon as possible, given that they only last a couple of days in the fridge and taste best when they're nice and fresh.

Morel mushrooms grow primarily in the springtime and can only be found in the wild, where they grow around the base of decaying trees in warm, wet climates (via Better Homes and Gardens). Because they are so difficult to grow commercially, morels tend to be expensive. But if you can afford them, you'll soon understand why they're so highly coveted. As Allrecipes notes, their complex flavor and meaty texture make them the perfect mushroom to cook with.

Morels have a unique shape and texture. Their caps are usually longer and taller than those of most other mushrooms, but they can also appear more bulbous. The skin of these caps is intricately textured in a pattern that looks like a honeycomb. When you cut into a morel, you'll find both the stem and the cap are hollow. If you find a "morel" that isn't hollow on the inside, don't eat it! Some morel look-alikes are poisonous. 

Try cooking morels with just a little butter, which enhances the natural flavors in the mushroom — perhaps a risotto would be the best way to use up those precious morels. You'll want to use fresh morels as quickly as possible, as too much time in the fridge may change their unique texture. To make them last longer, you can dry them in the sun and store them in an airtight container for up to six months (via Allrecipes).

Maitake mushrooms, also charmingly known as hen of the woods, are one of the most striking mushrooms when it comes to appearances. They grow in clusters reminiscent of feathers and usually sprout up at the base of trees, according to A Couple Cooks. These mushrooms are popular in China and Japan, though they grow in North America and Europe as well. 

The taste of a maitake mushroom is just as bold as its exterior. This mushroom has a woodsy flavor and is best cooked low and slow with smoky flavors. Maitakes also taste great fried, as their spindly ends soak up oil well and become deliciously crunchy without losing their savory flavor. When you cook a maitake mushroom, you'll likely need to break it apart a bit, since the clusters can be quite large. 

These mushrooms don't have a very long shelf life, however, so be sure to eat them up promptly. The best way to store them is in a paper bag in the fridge, like most mushrooms. Maitakes can also be kept at room temperature in a loosely covered container unless you live in a particularly dry climate.

Black trumpets, similar in shape to chanterelles, are a true culinary delicacy. As Forager Chef describes, they are one of the most flavorful mushrooms in the forest, with a unique taste that carries a hint of smokiness (via Mushroom Appreciation). Native to Europe and North America, they tend to grow in shaded parts of the forest, where their black hue makes them particularly difficult for foragers to spot (via Organic Facts). 

Black trumpets are shaped like, well, trumpets. All told, they look very similar to chanterelles, but they are black instead of brown and they lack the characteristic gills of chanterelles. Instead, their skin is typically smooth and sometimes wrinkly. These mushrooms are generally small and very delicate (via Outdoor News). 

When cooking black trumpet mushrooms it's best to choose flavors that won't overpower the flavor of the mushroom. You want to highlight the natural deliciousness of black trumpets, not distract from it. They taste great as a main ingredient in pasta or risotto. You might have trouble finding these unique mushrooms in the grocery store, but you will hopefully have better luck at a local farmer's market. Alternatively, you can purchase dried black trumpet mushrooms online or at some specialty food stores.

Chances are, even if you're a mushroom hater, you've heard all about truffles. They're extremely popular — and extremely expensive — fungi that grow underground. And because they're quite difficult to grow, many of them are foraged in nature. Their exclusivity is definitely reflected in the cost, and USA Today reports that the price per pound can sometimes reach thousands of dollars. Yes, you read that right ... thousands.

Of course, not everyone is willing to pay those prices, and that's totally understandable. But taste a fresh truffle, and you'll get what all the hype is about. They're richly flavored with a garlic umami touch that will have you begging for more. Black truffles from France seem to be more common in restaurants, but if you're lucky, you'll also get a chance to try white truffles, many of which come from the Piedmont region of Italy.

Unlike most mushrooms, you don't cook truffles. Instead, they're generally shaved over pasta or other rich dishes to provide an intense flavor that works well with anything creamy. While truffles aren't generally an ingredient you would eat on an everyday basis, they're perfect for a celebration when you really want to go all out. Have some fresh truffles? Try to eat them as soon as possible although they'll last for about two weeks in the fridge if you can't get through them all at once (per The English Truffle Company). Wrap them in a damp paper towel and seal them in an airtight container for maximum freshness.

Turkey tail mushrooms are almost as eye-catching as chanterelles, growing like fans in clusters with brightly colored stripes running along their edges. They look like rock formations, except you've never seen a rock formation like this before. Turkey tails look kind of off-putting, so you may not realize that they're completely edible. But if you're foraging with an expert and you happen to find them, you know you're in luck.

According to Om Mushrooms, they can provide a variety of health benefits, which makes them popular functional mushrooms. However, the taste is less mushroomy than you may expect, and some people aren't too fond of it. Generally, they are mixed into broths where some of their flavor is covered up by other ingredients, but some companies even sell coffee drinks with added turkey tail mushrooms. 

These may not become a staple in your kitchen, but you should definitely give them a try. If you have some fresh turkey tail mushrooms on hand, you should either use them as soon as possible or dry them, per GroCycle. Dried turkey tails last indefinitely, so they're a great ingredient to have stocked in your pantry.