It finally happened. I'd soaked and snipped some Merchant Gourmet porcini mushrooms, then slowly poured them into a bolognese, making sure any grit stayed at the bottom of the jug. Then I saw them, hard and white, floating in the last bit of liquid (second photo).
I’d previously read reviews where people were horrified to find worms and thought, “Huh, I’m glad I’ve not come across any”. I’ve probably eaten hundreds over the years. They’re harmless but everyone I’ve spoken to agrees that they couldn’t eat a wormy dish.
Helen Rennie’s method will be my go-to. Soak and strain; use only the liquid, no mushrooms, no worms. I love the taste and texture of porcini but I don’t have the energy to worm-hunt; it’d put me off my food.
When photographing the porcini for this blog post, the worms only appeared after the mushrooms were cut into smaller pieces. If porcini worms weren't on your radar and you generally keep your mushrooms whole, firstly, I'm sorry. Secondly, try snipping and see what surfaces. Or, stop reading, don't look at the second photo, and continue to enjoy the deliciousness of these beautifully flavoured mushrooms.
The batch in the photo came from Merchant Gourmet and were several years old. I’ve just bought a new packet from M&S and was delighted to see zero worms, even after snipping the mushrooms into tiny pieces. So far no reviewers on Ocado have reported worms either. I’ll update this post as I get through the packet.
