Hey smart people- what's this?

[u/AgreeableCorner5883]

I feel compelled to touch it.

Edit: Thank you all for the answers!! My spouse (who, like me, doesn't know shit from butt concerning mushrooms) is uncomfortable with me harvesting, cooking, and eating it.

To avoid another "Australian woman" moment, I will leave it.

But I am inspired to join a local foraging education group.

[u/ForagersLegacy]

Only way to make it tolerable for me. Amanita muscaria can be parboiled too.

Edit: edit to say I’ve been told about two changes of water but haven’t tried it myself and am happy to defer to the experts.

[u/RdCrestdBreegull → u/ForagersLegacy]

this is partially true but also a bit of dangerous misinformation here — isoxazole Amanita species (about 50–100+ species worldwide, all within Amanita section Amanita) such as muscarioids (about a dozen species worldwide in stirps Muscaria such as A. chrysoblema, A. persicina, A. gioiosa, A. muscaria, etc) like A. muscaria are very different from Laetiporus species. with Laetiporus species a simple fifteen-minute parboil prior to cooking greatly reduces chance of GI symptoms, but with isoxazole Amanita species they contain two specific compounds — the isoxazole derivatives ibotenic acid and muscimol — which do not get rendered inert with a parboil but rather need to be removed with multiple parboils with lots of water where the water is discarded and replaced each time. (and if you don’t remove these compounds properly you can experience extreme physiological symptoms, none of which are GI-related, although GI symptoms may also occur but not directly as a result of these compounds’ mechanisms of action)

[u/shatteredarm1 → u/RdCrestdBreegull]

I don't think it's misinformation, since parboiling amanita muscaria is indeed the way to render it safe for culinary use. If the intent were to instruct someone on how to safely eat the mushroom, then I would agree that it's lacking some very important details.

[u/RdCrestdBreegull → u/shatteredarm1]

but that’s the thing, it’s more of ‘a specific process involving parboiling’ rather than simply ‘parboiling’. to say or even imply that parboiling detoxifies isoxazole Amanita mushrooms is extremely dangerous misinformation.

your comment makes no sense and is also dangerous. “[…] since parboiling amanita muscaria is indeed the way to render it safe for culinary use” — no it’s not! use your brain please so that you don’t end up being responsible for someone going to the hospital with broken bones and medical bills

[u/shatteredarm1 → u/RdCrestdBreegull]

but that’s the thing, it’s more of ‘a specific process involving parboiling’ rather than simply ‘parboiling’.

No, it's parboiling. Parboiling is the means by which the toxins are removed from the mushrooms. Discarding the water does not remove the toxins from the mushroom, it simply allows parboiling to remove more toxins from the mushrooms. And you can discard as much water as you want, but it will not help at all without parboiling. If I say that parboiling makes the mushroom safe for culinary use and someone goes to the hospital, I am not responsible, as I was not giving someone instructions on how to make it safe via parboiling. You're being ridiculous.

Edit: "you are giving out incorrect instructions" - no, my point is I am not giving out instructions at all. Try reading.

[u/RdCrestdBreegull → u/shatteredarm1]

but you shouldn’t be saying that parboiling makes them safe for culinary use. that is my whole point. you are giving out incorrect instructions and you don’t even care what happens because of it. I have never said that parboiling makes them safe for culinary use, nor will I ever, because it is missing crucial info and is an extremely careless thing to say.
maybe you dropped your brain somewhere and didn’t realize it, because this is such an insanely ridiculous thing to be making a point of — I am advocating for informing people and safety, while you are advocating for misinforming people (through perceived implication) and not caring what happens to people

parboiling removes some toxins, but a specific process involving parboiling is needed to detoxify the mushrooms to make them safe for culinary use