Should mushrooms ever be washed?

[TastyReuben]

[Mod Edit: this and following few posts copied from another thread to form a new (possibly contentious!) topic]

Jacques Pepin says to apply common sense to washing mushrooms (and any other ingredient): "If it's dirty, wash it!"

Mushrooms, if you do choose to wash them, need to be used immediately, as they start to get mushy pretty quickly once wet.
There's a myth that mushrooms absorb water from washing, but that's been debunked more than once, though it still persists.

 

[cookieee]

We always wash our mushrooms. You never know what they were grown in.

 

[MypinchofItaly]

Jacques Pepin says to apply common sense to washing mushrooms (and any other ingredient): "If it's dirty, wash it!"

Mushrooms, if you do choose to wash them, need to be used immediately, as they start to get mushy pretty quickly once wet.
There's a myth that mushrooms absorb water from washing, but that's been debunked more than once, though it still persists.

The other common sense says to not wash mushrooms and it’s not a myth at all that they absorb water.

 

[medtran49]

The other common sense says to not wash mushrooms and it’s not a myth at all that they absorb water.

They absorb a very, very, very, very minimal amount of water if you are just washing them quickly under running water. It's been proven by weighing the mushrooms before and after, using a scale that measures to 2 decimal points as it's such a minimal amount. Now, if you soak them in a bowl of water for any length of time, that's a different story.

 

[TastyReuben]

Brushing or washing, the important thing is to remove dirt. How it's done is immaterial, but washing/rinsing them in water is certainly acceptable, and not the mushroom-destroying method it's made out to be.

One of Alton Brown's Good Eats episodes deals with the practical myth of mushrooms absorbing water. He soaked mushrooms for several minutes in water, weighing them before and after, and the amount absorbed was so small as to be nearly nonexistent.

Good enough for me!

 

[medtran49]

Brushing or washing, the important thing is to remove dirt. How it's done is immaterial, but washing/rinsing them in water is certainly acceptable, and not the mushroom-destroying method it's made out to be.

One of Alton Brown's Good Eats episodes deals with the practical myth of mushrooms absorbing water. He soaked mushrooms for several minutes in water, weighing them before and after, and the amount absorbed was so small as to be nearly nonexistent.

Good enough for me!

That's the show I was referencing. I thought the rinsing off was the least amount by far and soaking was a good bit more? It's been a long time since I've seen that episode so memory may have failed.

 

[Morning Glory]

...we could have a CookingBites civil war regarding whether mushrooms should be washed or not.

 

[TastyReuben]

That's the show I was referencing. I thought the rinsing off was the least amount by far and soaking was a good bit more? It's been a long time since I've seen that episode so memory may have failed.

Yeah, he gave them a soak for several minutes, and they absorbed negligibly more than just rinsing, but nothing that affected cooking or taste.

Serious Eats confirms it, as does Cook's Illustrated. It's just a thing that's stuck around. Try telling my mom that pork that's slightly pink in the middle, and she'll give you a 40 minute lecture on why pork that's not cooked until it's past shoe leather consistency is certain death on a plate. Once something gets ingrained in public consciousness, it's hard to shake it off.

 

[TastyReuben]

...we could have a CookingBites civil war regarding whether mushrooms should be washed or not. It needs a thread of its own.

I don't think mushrooms should even be eaten in the first place!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

What about mushrooms?

We always wash our mushrooms. You never know what they were grown in.

Never, and there's only 1 medium that they are grown in commercially. And it is sterile otherwise it would kill the mushrooms and leave the entire factory needing serious decontamination before tbe next batch could be grown.

If there's 'soil' on the mushroom, it's just brushed or scraped off. I don't peel them either.

Same applies for most things I eat.

 

[cookieee]

I really don't think we need a thread for this. I think people will continue to do what they do no matter what anyone says. I know I will always wash my mushrooms. And I will never be able to get DH to eat them. lol He did cook some mushrooms this morning for me and scrambled eggs over them. It was very good. And yes, he washed them.

 

[TastyReuben]

Just a bit of mushroom lore - much of the commercial mushroom production in the US is in southeastern Pennsylvania.
Having driven through the area multiple times, I can say that nothing smells quite as bad to me as a commercial mushroom growing facility - and I've been sprayed by a skunk.

 

[Morning Glory]

I really don't think we need a thread for this. I think people will continue to do what they do no matter what anyone says. I know I will always wash my mushrooms. And I will never be able to get DH to eat them. lol He did cook some mushrooms this morning for me and scrambled eggs over them. It was very good. And yes, he washed them.

One reason for starting threads is to get chat going and attract search engines. And this is a topic about which it seems people have strong views! Good.

 

[Morning Glory]

Just a bit of mushroom lore - much of the commercial mushroom production in the US is in southeastern Pennsylvania.
Having driven through the area multiple times, I can say that nothing smells quite as bad to me as a commercial mushroom growing facility - and I've been sprayed by a skunk.

I'd probably like the smell - well maybe not. But earthy, musky aromas are lovely.

 

[Morning Glory]

I've once or twice washed a mushroom and what I found is that they go sort of slimy on the surface. I suppose they could be dried off somehow - but that is complicated as they are an irregular shape.