To wash or not to wash?-That is the question.
Some people brush them off with a paper towel. Some people rinse them in water.
How do YOU clean your mushrooms?
Question.
May 6, 2011 ·
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To wash or not to wash?-That is the question.
Some people brush them off with a paper towel. Some people rinse them in water.
How do YOU clean your mushrooms?
I wash mine. I have tried to not wash them, because I know that is what I SHOULD do, but the clinging dirt grosses me out and I just can’t do it. I always break down and was them.
I use a small mushroom brush, which I clean after I am done, air dry. I come from old school- mushrooms absorb moisture and you want them to absorb the flavors of the dish and leach back in, so never wash in water, if you do, use cold…they will get slimy if not left to air dry in a paper bag on the middle to top shelf of fridge. If you wash them right away they sit and go bad faster.
We ate dirt as kids and lived to talk about it…our food grows in dirt, absorbs nutrients from it, we came from dirt, okay now I am sounding like a lunatic! Heh, most are not that dirty, only earthy, and or grown inside now days off peat and mulch…just sayin’
I wipe them with a damp paper towel.
I never wash them, too soggy and someone once told me that we all eat a pound of dirt and some spiders in a year so I figure a couple of more ounces wont do me any harm…..
I usually just wipe them, never wash, probably because I’m too lazy. Just found your blog from Aggie’s Kitchen and I’m so glad I did.
Mary
I am glad you found me Mary!!!
I wipe them with a damp paper towel.
I rinse them under cool water then let them dry on a paper towel, no rubbing the mushrooms! =)
I rinse quickly. I feel like wiping doesn’t remove all the dirt.
If they’re lovely and fresh like the ones in the picture, just brush them off. But most packages hang out in my fridge a bit too long and need a quick rinse. I figure any water the buggers absorb will either leak out onto the cutting board, or be cooked off quickly in the saute pan.
I Wash em! With all the problems of food borne illness, you cannot be too careful and ya know what? My mushrooms are not soggy like the experts proclaim they will be if you wash em!
xoxo
The Other Les
Leslie Loves Veggies
I brush them off with a dry paper towel.
I wipe them with a damp cloth.
What do you mean “clean” them? Everyone needs a little dirt in their diet!
Actually I wipe them with a wet paper towel.
I wash mine. Used to wipe them with a damp paper towel, but lost patience for that. They seem to hold up fine if the get a little wet. Fine enough for me anyway.
I rinse and blot dry with a paper towel. Great question!
do not wash. either use a brush or a damp paper towel and just remove the dirt.
I really want to use my typical remark here which is, I don’t, mushrooms are yucky and can KILL you. 🙂 Sorry, old dislikes (habits) die hard. Mushrooms…. yickkkkk…….
I’m a paper towel girl myself. I find washing them makes them kinda spongy.
I’m a wiper…this is thanks to Rachael Ray and that’s what she said to do. I usually listen to Rachael. I’m a follower.
I only wash them as I am going to use them. Then, I run them under cool water and wipe with a paper towel.
Mine are pretty clean when I get them, so I don’t wash them at all. If there are any dodgy-looking ones, I’ll pick off the larger specks of clinging earth, but otherwise just slice and use!
I just brush them off with a paper towel.
Dirt never hurt BUT I dont like my food to taste like it. I don’t find the water absorbtion to be a big problem. I wash/wipe quickly (one at a time!) and let set to air out a few minutes before cooking. I can’t see a big difference in one that is uncleaned, wiped, or washed and left to air dry for 5 minutes as far as water content when I slice them open. I actually have done this experiment! And I went so far as to saute them to see if the washed one would sweat more. It didn’t.
I rinse. I buy a lot of wild mushrooms in our farmers markets (they grow well in our, ahem, moist climate) and the advice I get from the foragers is to rinse. They get rained on all the time so water is not going to hurt them.