Cremini Mushroom

Also known asCrimini · Baby Bella · Brown Mushroom · Italian Brown Mushroom

Name: Cremini mushroom, also called baby bella, brown button or Italian brown mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) — a firm, light to mid-brown mushroom with a deeper flavour than a white button mushroom. It is the same species as white button and portobello mushrooms, at a different stage of maturity and colour.

Description

Cremini are the brown strain of the common cultivated mushroom, and sit between white button mushrooms (young and mild) and portobellos (fully mature and large). They were bred as a brown variety, and are now sold in shops worldwide, usually in small punnets.

Because they are slightly more mature, cremini have a firmer texture, lower water content and a richer, earthier, almost meaty flavour than white mushrooms, while still being versatile. They are one of the easiest mushrooms to cook with.

Main nutrition value

Cremini mushrooms provide B vitamins (riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid), selenium, copper and potassium, with some protein and fibre, for very few calories.

How best to be consumed

Cremini are versatile, and best cooked until browned.

1. Wipe clean with a damp cloth, or rinse quickly and pat dry, since they absorb water.
2. Sauté in a hot pan, without crowding, until deeply browned.
3. Slice into stir-fries, pasta sauces, risotto, soups and stews.
4. Roast whole or stuffed with herbs and breadcrumbs.
5. Store in a paper bag in the fridge, not in plastic, and use within a few days.

Overconsumption could cause…

Cremini mushrooms are safe when cooked.

1. Allergic reactions or digestive upset in some people, and stomach discomfort from the fibre (chitin) and sugars in mushrooms in large servings.
2. Digestive upset from eating mushrooms raw, since cooking breaks down their tough cell walls and destroys natural irritants.
3. Possible contamination of raw cultivated mushrooms with a natural compound called agaritine, which cooking reduces.
4. Slimy, spoiled mushrooms if kept too long.

GroupsMushroomsFungi (mushrooms)Low fatLow sodiumRich in seleniumFresh

Related foodsPortobello MushroomMaitake MushroomMorel MushroomWhite Button MushroomChanterelle MushroomOyster Mushroom

Wikipedia — Agaricus bisporus, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agaricus_bisporus