Q&A for How to Prepare Shiitake Mushrooms

Yes, you may boil them and make a tea from the water.

Of course. You can use any type of mushroom in an omelet.

Yes, you can put them into the soup when it's simmering for about 3 minutes.

2 to 3 hours for best results. Keep them in the fridge during the marination process.

Shiitake mushrooms don't have a "skin" like other vegetables do. You just cook them whole after washing them.

Yes. Be careful to not overcook them, though. Depending on what you're cooking them with, you can add them when all the other ingredients are already done cooking.

You could try, but shiitakes are tough, and best consumed cooked.

I let them air dry for an hour (after washing and blotting them dry), then chop and freeze them. Blot them again, then place them in a gallon plastic bag so they are not clumping together. Store them in that bag. Take out what you need for your recipe, and then return remaining mushrooms quickly to the freezer.

Yes, you can eat them raw.

Dehydrate them in a dehydrator first. Then store in canning jars or whatever airtight storage option you have. To rehydrate them, put them in water for half an hour to an hour. They can be canned too.

Shiitake are best avoided raw. They contain a toxin that can cause a skin reaction (flagellate dermatitis), including purulent lesions, in some people. And of course, just as any mushroom, it mustn't be consumed when too old and becoming slimy.