Mushrooms have become commonplace on American menus. Their texture and flavor add pizzazz to pizzas, substance to soups and salads, and generally upgrade sauces, stews, stuffings, and other dishes. White button mushrooms are traditional, while Portabella and Crimini mushrooms have gained much ground because of their richer, deeper flavor.
Portabellas have a deep, meat-like texture and full-bodied flavor, which makes them popular in vegetarian dishes. The Crimini mushroom, often called a baby Portabella, basically, is an immature Portabella, with unfolded gills. It has a firm texture and a deep, dense flavor. With their soft, spongy texture, Shiitakes are suitable for most cooking techniques, while Porcinis are especially suited for Italian or European dishes, suggests Kate Foley, industrial sales division, Phillips Foods, Inc., Kennett Square, Penn. The company is a subsidiary of Phillips Mushroom Farms, the largest grower and marketer of specialty mushrooms in the U.S.