As far as we’re concerned, mushrooms can do no wrong. They’re meaty, even, dare we say, bacon-like—and, when basted in butter or ghee, they add an earthy base to grain bowls, salads, and pastas. One of the best things about mushrooms is that dried ones are equally as versatile as fresh. They'll keep indefinitely in the pantry, ready to be rehydrated and tossed into soups, stews, and broths at a moment’s notice.
But how, exactly, are you rehydrating these magical little flavor bombs? Maybe you've been submerging the fungi in a bowl of hot water and using a plate to awkwardly weigh down the bobbing pieces. That's what we did too, until we learned about Win Son chef Trigg Brown’s brilliant hack: the French press. The tool’s plunger keeps the mushrooms fully submerged in hot water and allows you to press even more flavor out of them after they soak. Trigg uses the remaining broth in his Taiwanese minced pork sauce along with the juicy mushrooms (he uses the broth in his herby lamb noodles too).
It’s so elegant (and easy), we’re sort of embarrassed we didn’t think of it ourselves. Since we came around, we’ve been using the technique to rehydrate chiles for three-chile harissa or plump up golden raisins for nutty farro salads. Just fill up a large French press with your favorite pantry staple and cover it with hot water for 20 minutes to an hour.
When your ingredient has softened, slowly push down on the plunger like you’re making coffee. You can either save the liquid for stocks and braises or toss it (but, come on, you should save it). Then toss those mushrooms in ramen, stir them into risotto, or use them in place of fancy fresh ‘mushrooms—we won't tell.