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Step 1
Consider the vendor. Usually you can find decent mushrooms at most grocery stores, but go to a local chain whose biggest draw isn't price. You're much more likely to find good mushrooms where quality is a priority, so natural foods stores and gourmet groceries are better bets.
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Step 2
Select mushrooms individually. Buying them in 1 lb. or 2 lb. packages costs more and saddles you with more than you probably need, and they don't keep well at all. Also, you can only see the mushrooms on top.
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Step 3
Be discriminating. Unless you know what you're doing, leave ****ake mushrooms alone. Button mushrooms (the normal white ones) can be used in hundreds of cooked or raw dishes or alone. The smaller buttons are a much better choice than larger ones. The slightly brown Cremini mushrooms are similar to the white buttons, but have a slightly better flavor and maintain freshness longer.
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Step 4
Select according to size. It makes more sense to chop and cook with mushrooms that are roughly the same size. Place them one by one into a paper bag. Do not throw them in, place them.
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Step 5
Hold each mushroom upside down and carefully inspect around the stem. If you see any separation, shrinking or variation in color, put that mushroom back and look for one that is plump and convex around the stem.
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Step 6
Use your mushrooms within one or two days. Mushrooms do not keep well, even in the refrigerator. But if you select carefully, especially the Cremini variety, you can enjoy them before they start the rapid deterioration that renders them black and open underneath the dome around the stem.
