Wash mushrooms?

[tenspeed]

I've often read that you should not wash mushrooms, as they will absorb water. Brush off any dirt instead. I picked up a package of mushrooms from Trader Joe's, and the package states that the mushrooms should be washed before eating.

I asked Mr. Google, but there are still a lot of differing opinions. A number of sources state that if you give them a quick rinse, and not soak them, they won't absorb much water. Others are in the "do not wash" camp.

I've always wondered how the pre-sliced mushrooms are cleaned. I can't see how any commercial operation will take the time to brush mushrooms.

Any consensus on washing mushrooms? I've always brushed them, but wondering if I'm taking some risks by not washing them.

 

[CraigC]

I don't "wash" white buttons or criminis in the sense of putting them in a bowl of water. I lightly rinse them under running water. IMHO, they don't absorb any water.

 

[puffin3]

Commercial mushroom growers attempt to sell their mushrooms as heavy as possible b/c they are selling by the pound.
This means harvesting the mushrooms and getting them to the distributor ASAP. The moisture content is critical. Fresh mushrooms contain all the water the mushroom can absorb. Therefore giving a commercial grown mushroom a rinse/light brushing to remove any 'culture' the mushroom was grown in does not allow the mushroom to absorb any more than a little surface moisture.

 

[TremontRhino]

Alton Brown did a bit about this. He weighed 'shrooms before and after a quick rinse. Any water absorbed was negligible.

 

[larry_stewart]

What Jacques Pepin says, is that its not whether you should wash the mushrooms, but when you wash them.

He advises to wash them immediately before your going to use them.

If you wash them when you first get them, then store them, they get kinda smelly and slimy and decrease their fridge life if they don't dry properly.

My grandmother would spend hours peeling them prior to using them. God bless her, but it just wasn't worth it. But she was stuck in her ways, and thats the way her mother, grandmother .... did it.

 

[Selkie]

Rinse under running water while using a mushroom (soft) brush. Water absorption is nil!

 

[Andy M.]

Yup! Quick rinse under running water and pat dry with a paper towel. Store them in the fridge dirty in a paper bag and wash just before use.

 

[Dawgluver]

I'm a 'shroom rinser too.

 

[Kayelle]

It depends if there's anything on them. Most times there isn't and I don't bother.

I do have a cute soft mushroom brush however. It's also good on dusty lampshades.

 

[taxlady]

Alton Brown did a bit about this. He weighed 'shrooms before and after a quick rinse. Any water absorbed was negligible.

I was also going to mention that. For me, it's a quick rinse and any necessary brushing.

 

[Addie]

When you take what they are grown in, I wash them. The mixture is sterilized part dirt and part manure. Mostly dirt. Which doesn't make much sense to me. I would think if it was sterilized, wouldn't the heat of sterilization destroy the bacteria that promote the growth of the mushrooms? But what the heck do I know. I don't grow mushroom. I eat them and happy to do so.

 

[GotGarlic]

Here's an interesting page about how mushrooms are grown on a farm. They're typically grown in compost and use decaying organic matter for food. I wouldn't think sterilized soil would work very well.

http://smithmeadows.com/farm/how-are-mushrooms-grown/

 

[RPCookin]

My sister was taught way back in home ec in high school that you never wash mushrooms, and I'll bet she still dry brushes them. She saw me rinsing some mushrooms once about 25 years ago and chewed me out for making them "slimy", which is what her teacher had told her years earlier. I told her that they were going into a dish that had a water based tomato sauce (chili con carne), and rinsing them wouldn't make a particle of difference in the end result, but she was adamant.

Since no mule ever born has had a stubborn streak deeper than hers, I just shut up.

 

[Rocklobster]

Non washer, here.

 

[medtran49]

I used to get a catalog from a mushroom growing place, Mushroom Kits - Fungi.com , because we had ordered a couple of their kits years ago. They do grow their mushrooms in a sterilized medium so I would assume other producers do so as well to cut down on any unwanted byproduct or contaminant. The sterilized substrate/growing medium is inoculated with mushroom spawn/culture.

 

[letscook]

I put them into a strainer and I use the sprayer on my sink so they are not sitting in water, them place them on paper towel to absorb any moisture.
Haven't had a problem with them being slimy or too watery.

 

[larry_stewart]

Just picked these yesterday.
Grew them myself.
"Elm Mushrooms"
Boiled straw to kill off any bacteria
Inoculated the straw with Mushroom spores
Placed in a large plastic bucket with multiple holes drilled
Placed a plastic bag over it and misted for humidity
3 weeks later, a bunch of mushrooms.

Made a mushroom rice with them for dinner last night .

I did not rinse these ,as I knew exactly what they were grown in, and the way they were grown, it allowed me to slice them off the bucket, they were as cleans as can be.

Others I will wash, but only before i use them

 

[Selkie]

THAT'S the way to grow and eat mushrooms!!!!! Great going, Larry!!! Wonderful!

 

[larry_stewart]

THAT'S the way to grow and eat mushrooms!!!!! Great going, Larry!!! Wonderful!

Thanks,

I was parading these around the house, showing everyone, as if I was showing off baby pictures or something I couldn't have been any more proud. I have a mushroom garden out back too, but that doesn't seem to be going as well ( or at all ) . But this method was pretty fail proof. can't wait to do it again

 

[GotGarlic]

I used to get a catalog from a mushroom growing place, Mushroom Kits - Fungi.com , because we had ordered a couple of their kits years ago. They do grow their mushrooms in a sterilized medium so I would assume other producers do so as well to cut down on any unwanted byproduct or contaminant. The sterilized substrate/growing medium is inoculated with mushroom spawn/culture.

Yes, I read up on it some more and found that they sterilize, then add back just the good bacteria. Interesting process.