I think I read somewhere before about how if a mushroom is white, then stay away from it. How true is this from your experience?
I don't endorse any rules-of-thumb for foraging, but a much better differentiator for beginners is whether the mushroom has pores vs. gills under the cap. There are virtually no deadly varieties that have pores.
Never heard this one before. Adding it to my bug out notes. Thanks!
Put a few common pored edibles (Laetiporus sp., Cantharellus sp., Grifola frondosa, etc.) in your notes for sure though, with basic descriptions, as even their few remote lookalikes (at least pored ones -- some people think Omphalotus sp. look like Cantharellus for some reason) are just going to give you a moderate stomach upset at worst, and may be edible themselves.
Chantarelles don't have pores?
Everything else a good book for identification. If its not 100% clear that it is editable, it gets thrown away.