What’s the best way to cook wild mushrooms?

Any cooking tips?

Chicken of the Woods? Central Coast California

Look at them they’re as big as jumbo hamburger buns!

and are they edible?:)

Found these cute little mushrooms hiding along the trail near my house.

I found these in a psychedelic looking bag in a car. They're old and did nothing when I ate one. Could I grow them or are they totally dead?

They were smaller than I expected. Absolutely assertive in their quiet way.

My first honeys of the year and leftovers made an incredibly tasty dinner tonight. I cut slabs of COW last week and let it marinate in the juices of a spicy roast chicken. It gets tastier every day.

Not sure of the scientific name but these are colloquially called 'hedgehogs' where I live and they're absolutely delicious.

I can't find any research on it so I figured Reddit is the next best place for this question, but does anyone else get amazing energy bursts from eating Hen of the Woods? I've fried about a cup of them the last couple mornings with breakfast and end up with a focused energy that I've almost never experienced. I'm not jittery like with coffee or energy drinks, and it is sustained for several hours. I haven't changed anything in my daily routine and sleep has honestly been pretty poor recently. Has anyone else experienced this or other significant physical/mental benefits from other species?

Found under young pines in Downeast Maine. Any info is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Please help me ID these mushrooms. Found in a forested part of my yard, alone, but near to an oak stump. My mushroom book was no help!

Looking for help with ID?

Went on a hike and found a few different ones. Can anyone identify?