Guy Fieri's Fast Hack For Flavorful Mushroom Broth

Cold days call for warm, brothy recipes. The simplicity of your favorite vegetables or meat cooked in flavorful broth creates a comforting, nourishing bowl to fuel your seasonal activities. Celebrity chef Guy Fieri has some advice for soup, stew, and sauce artists looking to capture an umami flair. He suggests swapping meat for mushrooms when making broth. This typically would require you to spend a chunk of time sauteeing and simmering the shrooms to release their juices; Fieri eliminates that process by microwaving his mushrooms in plastic.

Whether making a mushroom soup recipe or attempting to add depth of flavor to your favorite sauce or risotto, Fieri's hack is a great one to keep in your back pocket. The mushroom broth is an ideal vegan substitute for meat-based broths because it mimics their savory, meaty flavor. Mushrooms also pair well with nearly everything, and you can choose from different shroom varieties to tailor your broth to the recipe you're making. 

Mushrooms with a deeper brown color will have a more pronounced umami flavor. If you're unsure where to start, shiitakes, portobellos, and creminis are fantastic choices. Plus, they're readily available in most grocery stores. 

If you've had your fill of turkey at this point in the season, you're likely not alone. When approaching a dish that requires some form of broth — even a small amount — consider swapping out the bird for something slightly different. Guy Fieri's time-saving trick for making mushroom broth will inspire you to run to the store to pick out your favorite shrooms. 

To make this quick broth, after wrapping the mushrooms in plastic wrap, the wrapped package goes in the microwave until the mushrooms cook through. The result is a savory, brothy liquid that Fieri suggests adding to your recipes instead of plain water or other types of broth. 

Mushrooms only take about 2 or 3 minutes to cook in the microwave, which shaves at least an hour off the typical stovetop broth-making process. However, you can also use the microwave to cook mushrooms without plastic wrap. If microwaving in plastic isn't appealing, use a microwave-safe dish to cook these tasty fungi. It'll yield the same results, releasing all those delicious juices you'd get when sauteeing chopped mushrooms.