Cooked or raw, enoki mushrooms can add
flair to any meal, from breakfast (omelets) to lunch (salads) to dinner (with beef or other protein). Photo by Kelly Cline | IST.

While mushrooms are often packed in plastic wrap on the shelf, that wrap is usually a special, air-permeable variety.

Never store loose mushrooms in plastic wrap or plastic bags. Mushrooms contain a lot of moisture, and a plastic enclosure increases the humidity, which in turn causes more rapid deterioration.

Even the heartiest mushroom won’t last more than a few days, so buy only what you need fresh and roll them in paper towels.

If you have more mushrooms than you can use, here are four tips on what to do with them.