We all know that we need to be careful when preparing fresh food for our recipes. Mushrooms are no different, especially when you know that mushrooms are grown in organic fertilizer. So it is important to know how to clean mushrooms.
Still, the experts tend to advise against actually washing mushrooms because too much water can make them all soggy and lose that light, delicate texture. That said, and as you’ll see below, using water to give them a rinse is a legitimate method to get them clean – as long as you’re careful about it and don’t end up with some thoroughly water-logged fungi on your hands.
Here are some of the ways you can clean mushrooms before cooking them or eating them raw.
Cleaning Mushrooms With a Brush
This is a great way to clean mushrooms because everything stays dry. You can buy a special Mushroom brush that makes the job easy. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes – some quite cute. These specialized brushes have very soft bristles so the little fungi comes through the process largely unscathed. Here are some of the good ones on Amazon (affiliate link) if you need one.
Brushing works best with whole mushrooms before they are sliced, but if you’re the patient type, it also works with a cut mushroom. Proceed by holding a couple of slices in the non-brush hand while you lightly brush them with the brush hand – you get the idea.
However, a brush is fantastic for cleaning uncut mushrooms – it’s my preferred way. Just lightly brush in one direction so any dirt heads consistently away from the flesh.
Wiping Mushrooms with a Damp Towel
Using a damp towel to wipe mushrooms clean is an effective way to get rid of any dirt and grit in mushrooms without resorting to soaking them in water. On the downside, you do have to be careful not to be too rough and accidentally damage them too much in the process. It requires a careful touch to do it without breaking them in the process – especially if they are already pre-sliced from the supermarket. Again, this is a better method for whole mushrooms. Lightly wet some paper towel so it is just damp. Hold a small batch of sliced mushrooms flat on your palm and gently wipe them down with a bit of the towel wrapped around your index finger. Change the position of the towel every few wipes so that you are always using a clean spot on the towel. Get busy wiping away all visible dirt and then put the sliced pieces into a new container so the newly cleaned ones don’t get mixed up with the still dirty ones.
Use A Salad Spinner To Clean Mushrooms
While it’s not the main job of a salad spinner to clean your mushrooms, it turns out that it is a very useful device for this very thing. The centrifugal force it generates when you pull that string in perfect for flinging all that excess water off of your dirty mushrooms once you have very lightly dampened them.
Just dampen the mushrooms to make the dirt will stick to the water droplets then place the slices of into the salad spinner and then let it rip! Don’t do it for too long (just a few seconds), otherwise, you’ll damage them in the process. Needless to say, this works the most effectively on sliced mushrooms that will then be chopped, because otherwise, it tends to rough them up a bit if you want them looking nice and intact.
If you don’t have a salad spinner or your old one is more of a salad-not-very-spinner, the best one I’ve ever used is the MUELLER. There’s a big difference between a good one and a not-so-good one, and this one is good. It’s great Austrian quality and you can get one here on Amazon (affiliate link).
Rinsing Mushrooms With Water
It’s dead easy, and a very effective cleaning method to give mushrooms a simple and quick rinse off. It all happens so quickly that they won’t absorb much water in the process, and will still maintain their taste and texture.
Just put the sliced mushrooms into a strainer or colander and then gently agitate it to firstly dislodge as much dirt as possible. Then use cold running water through the contents back and forward for a while to follow-up. Gently shake the strainer to get rid of excess water and then literally rinse and repeat (that’s funny) until there is no more visible dirt. Dry them by blotting with paper towels or a dish towel and you’re done.