What does the mushrooms: dry pan vs oil first experiment test?

It tests one variable: oil at the start. The idea is that mushrooms started in a dry pan brown better than mushrooms started in oil.

20-minute experiment

Mushrooms: dry pan vs oil first

Water out, then brown.

The idea

Mushrooms started in a dry pan brown better than mushrooms started in oil.

The one thing you change: Oil at the start

You need

200 g sliced store-bought mushrooms (never wild ones)
1 tbsp oil
Two pans
Salt

Steps

Put half the mushrooms in a dry hot pan. Put the other half in a pan with oil.
Cook both for 6 minutes without salt, stirring now and then.
Add oil to the dry pan at the end (pour carefully, it spits), season both and compare color.

What you should find

The dry-started mushrooms are deeply browned. The oil-started ones are paler and soft.

From the app

Cook this with Chef Fizz

Step-by-step mode with timers, in the free app.

Get the app

The science behind it

Browning mushrooms

Mushrooms are about 90 percent water. In a hot pan they release it first and sweat, and they only brown once the pan is nearly dry. Give them one layer and…

Read the explainer

Track it in The Lab

Run all 40 experiments in the app, note what you tasted, and unlock the lesson that explains it.

Download on theApp Store