Check Out Our Most Frequently Asked Questions Below
No. Top Hat Shiitake mushrooms do not need to be washed before cooking / eating. Please note that they should be cooked before eating. For the safety of our consumers, we do not advocate eating Shiitake mushrooms raw.
Yes, Shiitake should be cooked before eating.
While it is rare, 2% of the population may have adverse reactions to the Lentanin in Shiitake. The reaction causes whip like raised red rashes along the torso that are hard, itchy and painful. The reaction appears within hours, or even as late as 3 days after eating raw Shiitake, and the symptoms can last up to 21 days. When the Shiitake is cooked, the heat breaks down the Lentanin making the Shiitake safe for everyone. The reaction is known as Shiitake Dermatitis, or flagellate dermatitis, and is caused by a toxic reaction as opposed to an allergic one, and is completely avoidable when the Shiitake are cooked. We do not advocate eating raw or partially cooked Shiitake as it is unsafe for some people.
Cooking to at least 293 degrees F removes the risk of developing Shiitake Dermatitis.
We have an in-depth post addressing this issue. (Psssst., clamshells are actually recyclable.) To read the post and learn how to recycle or repurpose our clamshells, head on over to our blog post.
Yes! Shiitake stems are edible, but are more tough than the caps, so some chefs save them to add to soup stock. Petite Shiitake mushrooms have more tender stems and can be used stem and all.
Typically, the mushrooms will last for several weeks in a refrigerated environment. Mushrooms may dry out and shrink or shrivel if they are very old. You can choose to reconstitute them in water, dry them for making powder, or discard them. Discard mushrooms if they are slimy, or have a rotten odor.