Mushrooms
Chestnut mushroom
Chestnut mushroom is a brown-capped cultivated form of Agaricus bisporus used as a savoury kitchen ingredient.
An identifiable cultivated mushroom
Chestnut mushrooms are cultivated forms of Agaricus bisporus. This page covers the brown-capped market form rather than cultivated mushrooms in general. USDA distinguishes white button mushrooms from brown crimini, also called baby bella, in its product descriptions. In British usage the brown form is commonly called chestnut mushroom.
The brown and white button forms are related forms of the same species, not evidence of different fungal species. Mature brown mushrooms may be marketed as portobello; names and maturity descriptions vary by market. The label on a purchase gives a more useful guide than assuming all mushrooms behave alike.
Sources for this section
Growing and choosing
Growers establish selected Agaricus cultures in prepared substrate and manage the environment for fruiting. Penn State describes separate commercial white and brown strains with different growing and market characteristics. The mushroom on sale is the visible fruiting body, not the entire fungus.
Choose sound brown-capped mushrooms that are firm and free of slime, mould or severe decay. USDA describes closed veils and a smooth rounded cap among the quality criteria for button mushrooms. Refrigerate and use promptly, and remove growing medium before cooking.
In the kitchen and fermentation
The brown mushrooms can be sliced or cooked whole as a savoury ingredient in soups, sauces and vegetable dishes. Their texture and moisture influence cooking; a larger or more mature mushroom may behave differently from a small closed-cap one.
A mushroom named in a recipe should retain its original wording. Where a source says only mushrooms, it does not establish which variety was used. For fermentation, pickling or preserving mushrooms, use a complete tested method for the exact preparation; a mushroom variety alone does not define a safe process or storage period.
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Sources
US Department of AgricultureContext
Commercial Item Description: Mushrooms, Individually Quick Frozenwhite button and crimini distinctions
Cited in: An identifiable cultivated mushroom; In the kitchen and fermentation
Penn State ExtensionContext
Basic Procedures for Agaricus Mushroom Growingcultivation
white and brown strains
Cited in: Growing and choosing
US Department of AgricultureContext
Commercial Storage of Fruits, Vegetables, and Florist and Nursery Stocks: Mushroomquality
maturity
handling
Cited in: Growing and choosing; In the kitchen and fermentation