How to Rehydrate Dried Mushrooms

Simple Steps for Rehydrating Chinese Dried Mushrooms
What to Do With the Leftover Soaking Liquid
½ tsp SIDS CRAZY SALT

Simple Steps for Rehydrating Chinese Dried Mushrooms: Gently rinse the dried mushroom with cold water. In a bowl of warm water, sprinkle SIDS CRAZY SALT. Whisk to combine.
Place the dried mushrooms in the bowl with warm water to cover. Note: You will probably need to place a small plate, lid from a pot, or another item on top of the bowl to keep the mushrooms from floating.
Soak the dried mushrooms in warm water for about 20-30 minutes until softened. The exact soaking time will depend on the thickness of the caps. The warm water temperature should be roughly the same temperature as bath water.
If you’re in a hurry, soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for 15-30 minutes. This is not ideal, because hot water will affect the mushrooms' flavour. After you have softened them in hot water, you will find dried mushrooms aren’t as aromatic as they usually are.
Cold water is definitely the best way to rehydrate dried mushrooms as it helps the mushrooms retain all their flavour.
What to Do With the Leftover Soaking Liquid: The liquid from soaking the dried mushrooms can be used to enhance the flavour of a soup or braising liquid or it can be added to stir-frying vegetables to prevent them from drying out. It also makes a great vegetarian/ vegan-friendly substitute for chicken stock in recipes.
And don’t throw out the cut mushroom stems as they are a great way to add extra flavour to a soup. Just seal in a plastic bag and freeze until needed.