With their meaty texture and rich, savory, umami-packed flavor, mushrooms are a natural substitute for meat in many settings and entrees, from burgers and grilled steaks to stir-fries, pasta dishes, and more. So it only makes sense that these earthy delights — especially the really large, thick, and hearty ones — would also benefit from some scoring before being cooked.
Whether you’re grilling, sautéing, or roasting mushrooms, scoring is a simple yet effective technique to help improve their texture, flavor, and presentation on the plate, says Matijevich. Scoring helps with browning, he explains. Mushrooms are also known for their high water content. Scoring helps to remove that liquid. When you score a large mushroom cap or a thick slice of mushroom stem, it creates more surface area that can come into contact with the hot pan. This helps the trapped moisture from within the mushroom to escape and gives the mushroom a more meaty, caramelized flavor as it sears and cooks.
When it comes to your searing technique, Matijevich suggests letting the size of the mushroom determine the size of your score. For a small oyster mushroom, that might mean allowing about a quarter of an inch between each score mark. For a massive portobello, however, that distance might expand to about half an inch. Scores should be proportional to the size of the ingredient that you’re prepping, he says.
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