Mushroom care and handling (Cara-cara penyimpanan cendawan segar)

Mushrooms are delicate. Take extra care to prevent bruising, preserve high quality and maintain great taste. Here are some helpful handling tips that will ensure your mushrooms are good and tasty:

• Always keep your mushrooms in the refrigerator between the temperatures of 32°F and 36°F (0°C to 2°C).
• When mushrooms are purchased loose, they should be stored in a brown paper bag as they will breathe better and stay firm longer.
• Packaged mushrooms keep well in the refrigerator, but once opened they should be stored in a brown paper bag.
• Mushrooms are best when they are used within a few days of purchase, but can be kept up to one week.
• Prior to use, wipe mushrooms with a damp cloth or rinse in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Do not wash mushrooms until you are ready to use them, as they may discolor

source: http://www.mushrooms.ca/fresh/care-handling.aspx

Oyster Mushrooms (Cendawan tiram kelabu)

• Cap: 5-25 cm broad, fan or oyster-shaped; Natural specimens range from white to gray or tan to dark-brown; margin inrolled when young, smooth and often somewhat lobed or wavy. Flesh white, firm, varies in thickness due to stipe arrangement.
• Gills: Gills are white to cream, descend stalk if present. If so, stipe off-center with lateral attachment to wood.
• Spores: The spores form a white to lilac-gray print on dark media.
• Stipe: Often absent. When present it is short and thick.
• Taste: Mild
• Odor: Often has a mild scent of anise.
• Storage: Keep Oyster mushrooms refrigerated in a paper bag for up to 5 days.

Additional Information

Oyster mushrooms are a natural source of statin drugs. Studies have shown that they typically contain 0.4% to 2.7% statins on a dry weight basis. Z. Naturforsch Study. A number of studies on lab animals have shown that adding Pleurotus to the diet can reduce cholesterol under some conditions.

The oyster mushroom is also one of the few known carnivorous mushrooms. Its mycelia can kill and digest nematodes. This is believed to be a way to obtain nitrogen.

Oyster mushrooms contain a small amount of arabitol which can cause gastrointestinal distress in some people. Arabitol is a sugar alcohol similar to xylitol, manitol and sorbitol; these sugar alcohols are widely used food additives and can also have laxative effectives in susceptible individuals.