Do
- Chill mushrooms as soon as they arrive, in their original perforated punnets or in paper bags.
- Keep them on a cold, steady shelf, not near the door.
- Clean mushrooms by brushing or quickly rinsing just before cooking; do not soak them.
- Slice in small batches and chill sliced mushrooms covered.
- Sauté or blanch surplus mushrooms and freeze them in portions.
- Check daily and discard slimy, dark or strongly smelling stock.
- Keep mushrooms away from raw meat and strongly flavoured foods; their open gills absorb odours and drip easily.
Avoid
- Do not store mushrooms in sealed plastic; trapped moisture makes them slimy.
- Do not wash mushrooms before storage.
- Do not stack heavy items on punnets.
- Do not keep sliced mushrooms out on a pizza line through a full shift.
- Do not freeze raw sliced mushrooms for use in salads or raw dishes.
In Indian conditions
Mushrooms are grown year-round in climate-controlled units in India, but distribution is often unrefrigerated, and in summer they arrive warm and already sweating. Chill them immediately, and check the temperature of deliveries if quality is inconsistent. Pizza outlets and Chinese-style restaurants use sliced mushrooms heavily; hold them in a refrigerated prep counter or undercounter drawer rather than an open tub. Monsoon humidity encourages surface mould, and condensation in poorly ventilated packaging makes mushrooms slimy fast. Buy more often and in smaller amounts if your turnover is low. During power cuts, keep the cabinet closed; sliced mushrooms that have warmed for hours should be discarded.
General good practice for commercial kitchens and shops. Where your FSSAI licence conditions or food-safety plan set stricter limits, follow those.