Ever wonder what to do with all of those mushroom stems they tell you to cut off and "reserve for another use"? Here a few suggestions:

* Before putting stems in the freezer, slice them and squeeze them dry in a plain napkin. Do so by drawing the napkin up and around the stems, twisting the napkin until you have a tightly wrapped ball. Keep twisting the napkin until the mushroom juices run out. When done, open the napkin, and you will have a pile of mushrooms that will freeze better because there is no water in them to make them soggy when they thaw. Store in a zipper-lock bag in the freezer for no longer than three months. Also, freeze the juice and add it back to the mushrooms when cooking.

* Mash together 3 parts finely chopped, sauteed stems with 1 part roasted garlic. Serve as a pate with crusts of bread or put under a steak just before you serve it.

* Cook the stems with caramelized onions and use the mixture in omelets.

* Finely chopped stems are an important ingredient in vegetable stock.

* Add diced stems to ready-made cream of mushroom soup.

* Add diced stems to stuffing.

* Chopped stems stretch ground beef and add moisture and flavor to meatloaf and chili.

Pub Date: 7/08/98