I like much-maligned mushrooms. Yumptious!

(Phil) Yeah, they're great. I had some with a couple of lamb chops last night.
(Raak) I've noticed that too.

[Phil] When a recipe calls for much-maligned mushrooms, how long should I malign them for?

[Dan] I generally start with disparaging remarks about the overall quality of their gills, then move on to more targeted insults on the subject of stem length and cap diameter.

That takes from between 2 to four minutes.

[Dan] With all due respect to Stevie, I'd consider his mushrooms to be simply "maligned", not "much-maligned". I can't repeat here the sort of language I use in their presence, but it makes them sweat like an onion.

(Phil) You don't know how many other people malign mushrooms, or with what intensity. That, of course applies to mushrooms in general, not necessarily Stevie's. On the other hand, Stevie's mushroms may have a flea in their ear from those condemned to pick them.