Young, small porcini are most appreciated by gourmets, as the large ones often harbor maggots (insect larvae), and become slimy, soft and less tasty with age.
Importantly for commercial production, porcini retain their flavour after industrial preparation in a pressure cooker or after canning or bottling, and are thus useful for manufacturers of soups or stews.
Porcini can also be frozen either raw or first cooked in butter.
Some reported cases of stomach ache following consumption of dried porcini have been attributed to the presence of this mould on the fruit bodies.
They are commonly ranked above morels and chanterelles and only the cep / porcini is more highly prized.
The colour, aroma, and taste of frozen porcini deteriorate noticeably if frozen longer than four months.
Many variants exist where the vegetables are replaced with stronger ingredients such as porcini or walnuts.
Duxelles made with wild porcini mushrooms will be much stronger flavored than that made with white or brown mushrooms.
