First, be cock-sure in your own ability to do something as simple and straightforward as identifying mushroom species because of your innate ability to recall every minutia of the field guides and your astonishing powers of perception and attention to detail. Then analyze closely the cap shape, scales, the gill/teeth/ridges/pore patterns in the cap underside including shape, width, spacing, depth, and color, the ridges, and the stalk, including a partial veil and/or annulus. Proclaim confidently when you have determined with 100% assurance that you know precisely what species of mushroom you have in your hand, because you are a mushroom genius.

At that point you can take a few bites. If you end up needing a liver transplant, then you know it was toxic.

I’m not an expert in the bio/chem side or really anything to do with mushrooms/fungi, but some families of mushrooms have commonly associated toxins. None of the below should be considered advice or recommendation or relied on in any way.

Amanitas often have a deadly toxin known as Amatoxin, for example.

Some others are sometimes reclassified from toxic to “sort-of-toxic” or “unknown.”

Common mushrooms like Morels can have their toxins cooked out (throw out the cooking water!), while others like Amatoxins will persist.

Still others affect some people, but not others - and some toxins induce negative effects in the presence of other chemicals in the system, like Inky Caps and Alcohol - the combination of which can be deadly, or not, depending on a number of factors.

My understanding of the situation overall is: it’s complicated.