Premium Grade Dried Shiitake Mushrooms Extra Thick (1 LB.)

Today, I soaked a double handful of these shiitake in warm water. When reconstituted, the inedible shiitake stems were way too embedded to "pinch" off, as one does with fresh shiitakes, so I sliced every mushroom so as to "discard" (I put shiitake stems in a Ziploc in the freezer for mushroom stock) the stems. After slicing a bit more, I had mostly quartered mushrooms. They were tough to the chew. As I was using them in an Instant Pot recipe, I hoped that the IP would tenderize them. No such luck: great umami flavor, but tough. Keep in mind that shiitake, unlike porcini, mushrooms, rarely have any grit associated with them, so, in future, I'm simply going to pulverize my intended shiitakes in the food processor or blender before adding to the dish. These are a really great value, and their umami flavor was delicious, so I will continue to buy them. UPDATE: I did pulverize the rest of the shiitakes in my food processor, and then decided to make stock immediately using the powder and tiny pieces. The result was about 4 quarts of amazing, deeply rich, dark, flavorful shiitake "glop" -- which I mean in a very good way because I wasn't about to strain it: I wanted all of those remaining tiny pieces of umami bombs. I then froze the "glop" in pint and quart Mason jars. I used one of the pints to flavor mac & cheese, which was outrageously delicious. Today I used 1 quart of "glop" to 1 # of split peas for thick soup, and the result was equally delicious. I've been making rich mushroom stock for two decades, and I will no longer require the high expense of buying fresh mushrooms, or expensive tiny bags of porcini, just for stock. As soon as I'm down to 1 pint and 1 quart of shiitake "glop" in my freezer, I'll be amazoning another bag of these mushrooms. Accordingly, I've upgraded my review to 5 stars because, having figured out how to manage them, they're definitely worth it: 5-star flavor and 10-star value!

I've bought these mushrooms about 3 times already and they are excellent! They rehydrate into big, luscious mushrooms with an earthy pungent aroma and beautiful pattern on top. They brown easily in the pan and cook up into a silky texture. Yum! They don't smell like chemicals, unlike some dried shiitakes I've bought before. The mushroom soaking liquid is full of flavor and I add a bit of back into the pan whenever I cook the mushrooms. (I find that for many applications -- such as stir-fries and soups --dried shiitakes are interchangeable with fresh, and they have a better flavor than the fresh shiitakes in supermarkets.)A key to the best flavor is a long soak in cold water on the countertop, at least 8 hours. I learned this from Asian cooks. The mushrooms, since they are quite thick, need time to fully rehydrate and soften.Great price for the amount you get, and the bag will last a long time in the freezer. I will continue to buy these until Amazon stops selling them! 😋

I did not know that mushrooms can be of the "premium quality' before I got these mushroom. They are better than any dried shitake I bought before, online or in the store. They are meaty and plump when rehydrated. The flavor is nutty and the texture is pleasant. These are very fine mushrooms. I would recommend to rehydrate in cold instead of the hot water. The temperature of the water does influence the taste. I find that rehydrating in cold water brings out more flavor and taste.

These are high quality mushrooms in the dry form and they have nice, mild, fresh flavor to them. If you do not like the flavor you will not enjoy them so be careful. I love these but I am not sure if they are giving me a reaction. Some people are allergic and so, need to be careful. But, after soaking and running through a food processor these are excellent for my soups. Still experimenting with this new food and if I not allergic to these after a few weeks of use, I will order them again. They are wonderful, if you like the specific mild flavor they have.

Very nice quality. Mostly uniform sizes. No sand or grit at all. I've been rehydrating them in my Instant Pot and they turn out beautifully. Very flavorful. Very pleased with this brand/seller, so I'm buying another pound right aaway.Hint: If you rehydrate in your Instant Pot, it will take less than an hour, but be sure to have the fan on unless you like the stinky smell of the rehydration! Even with the pressure seal, the smell will overpower your house. Do save your delicious mushroom broth. Freeze it and you're ready any time.

I purchased this item based on raving reviews. Unfortunately, the quality was disappointing. These mushrooms are plum, but there was no shiitake fragrant in soaking water and the color of the mushroom flesh was brownish instead of white. It didn't say about the origin on the package, but it sure tasted like cheap Chinese origin. What a bummer!

I live in Massachusetts north of Boston and in the past I would pick up dried shiitake, along with other ingredients when passing through Boston’s Chinatown. I ran out a few months ago and decided it would be best to order than make a special trip. Green Nutrition offered two grades, “A” and this one, “Premium” for an extra two bucks.With dried shiitake, look for large caps that have cracked open as they dry exposing the white flesh within. They resemble puffed wheat cereal.These are great!! They look like the picture. After soaking, they became very thick as well as pungent. I had a bag delivered to my workplace. Two Chinese born ladies I work with saw them and said they looked better than what they buy in the Asian markets in Boston and Lowell. I ended up ordering two more pounds for them!!I don't do a lot of traditional Asian cooking, but I use shiitake in other recipes. These are KILLER in pot roasts and even coq au vin. For the latter I grind up a couple to boost the flavor of the more traditional button mushrooms.

Small size and not good quality.