How to clean mushrooms?

Question

Some people say cleaning with water removes the taste from mushrooms.

But if I don't use water the mushrooms will carry a lot of dust.

Do you have any techniques for cleaning mushroom so I don't eat crap but don't spoil the mushroom?

Answer 1

I find that brushes and even paper towels are too rough on mushrooms. I use cold running water and gentle rubbing by hand.

Answer 2

Peel them!Small knife from underside grab the turned under outer skin between thumb and knife tip and peel the outer skin.

Answer 3

Alton Brown examined this question in the episode called Myth Busters.

Good Eats: Myth Smashers See scenes 10 and 11.

The conclusion is that you should wash the mushrooms in water. They do not soak water from a quick rinsing.

SCENE 10

Home Office

Know what this is? This is an instrument of torture. It's called a mushroom brush. Now when you're first starting out in the restaurant business, you spend a lot of time with one of these. And it's not a very good time. Now why would you want to brush a mushroom? Well, because they grow in dirt. Well, actually it's not dirt. It's compost. But it's pasteurized compost, so it's safe. But it still doesn't taste very good. It's got to come off. So why not just wash it off? Good question. Allow me to read from a respected culinary tome on the subject. Ah, mushroom ... there.

"Mushrooms are extremely porous. And because of that, they will absorb any water or other moisture they are placed in. Because of this, they should never be washed, only cleaned with a fine bristle brush."

Which leads us back to the instrument of torture. So is this fact or is it fiction? Well, I for one believe there's a very, very easy way to find out.

Read Scene 11 on the fan page.

Answer 4

A great tip that I learned from a famous French chef is to wash the mushroom skin with lemon juice. He also recommended to cook it on low fire with a little water on a pane until all the initial "green liquid/subtance" comes out (you should throw that liquid away). We did it for the preparation of a "blanquette de veau". The result was very nice.

Answer 5

I'm not a very sophisticated cook so I only ever use white button or Crimini mushrooms. I wash them quickly in a large bowl of water then pour them into a strainer to get rid of the water and finish by "drying" them in a salad spinner. The spinner works amazingly well to remove any water left behind.

Answer 6

I use a small knife to remove the small soil/dirt props. Works great. Sometimes I have some water running to clean the knife with, but a board works OK too. This way I don't need to use water or special brushes.

Answer 7

I learned from the best this summer. Maximum a few hours after getting home I clean them using a brush. Then cut off a tiny piece by the foot, just to get rid of the soil. Cut them into handy pieces and let them go straight into a pan. NOTE: NO water. NO oil. NO butter. ONLY the mushroom.

Let them steamboil (in their own water) on 50% heat until all water comes out and boils off. It takes a while. Maybe 15 minutes, depending on how much you have.

Then let them cool of. Divide into portions and put in freezer. Take out and use as needed.

Again: NO water, NO butter, NO salt, NO nothing. If you for example add butter they will not stay fresh as long (in the freezer). And there is no use whatsoever for water, as the mushroom contain a lot of it.

Answer 8

I think this is because if you wash the mushrooms then immediately fry them you incidentally add more water and (partially) steam them.

Wash the mushrooms, pad dry and put them in a cool place on kitchen paper for a couple of hours before cooking. By this time most of the excess water will probably have evaporated.

Answer 9

For larger white and crimini mushrooms I typically just brush them off lightly with a dry paper towel. Wet towels tend to smear the dust across the mushroom. I dislike mushroom brushes as they just clutter up the drawers and paper towels are always available if needed.

Button-size mushrooms tend to be more likely to be dusty and are difficult to hold onto so the above method isn't very effective. For these, place them in a bowl of cool water and quickly swish them around. Then lift them out and onto some absorbent paper towels or terry towels and pat them dry. Don't drain the mushrooms in a colander as you'll just be pouring the dust back on them. Don't wash anymore than you intend to use as excessive moisture is the primary enemy of mushrooms and can make them begin to deteriorate. Excessive handling and washing can damage the surface cells which will cause discoloration.

Shiitake and Oyster mushrooms typically don't need to be cleaned in either way as they are rarely dirty.

A small brush (such as artist's brush) can be beneficial for cleaning morels since they are truly "wild" and can have bugs and dirt inside their nooks and crannies.

Answer 10

I use a soft brush (shaped like a mushroom!) and running water. Mushrooms don't absorb very much water, despite what you might think, so it's not a problem to wash them. If you're going to fry them, and are worried about splattering, they'll air dry fairly quickly after washing.

And yes, mushrooms are grown on rotting wood and composted manure. Not going to hurt you, but it's a little distasteful not to wash them!

Answer 11

I have a small brush (like this one) that I use to "dust off" the mushrooms. I don't use water at all.

Answer 12

You have to clean them, since they're covered in dirt. I rub them gently with a wet paper towel so that the skin isn't peeled off too much.