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Should you wash mushrooms or brush off the dirt? To clear up this kitchen conundrum, here’s how to clean mushrooms…the right way.

How to clean mushrooms
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What’s the best way to clean mushrooms? If you’re like us, you might have heard the old adage: never wash mushrooms. The rationale was that mushrooms are 90% water, so they would absorb the water and become waterlogged. But the method of brushing off each mushroom with a small brush or paper towel takes way too long.

Turns out according to The Kitchn and Martha Stewart, yes, you can wash mushrooms! At least, you can give them a little shower. A mushroom farmer interviewed by The Kitchn indicated that “mushrooms need a shower, not a bath.” This works for most types of mushrooms you’ll find at the grocery. One caveat is morel mushrooms: these foraged mushrooms can be very dirty, so use a brush and some water to get them as clean as possible.

How to clean mushrooms: the right way!

Here’s the right way of how to clean mushrooms: and it takes no time at all! There’s a best case method, and a cheater method in case you’re feeling lazy:

  • Bowl method: Fill a large bowl with water. Add the mushrooms and toss them in the water for a minute or so until the dirty mostly settles to the bottom. Remove from the bowl and pat dry.
  • Strainer method: Or for a cheaters method, you can simply place the mushrooms in a colander and spray them with water until the dirt washes away. Then pat the mushrooms dry.

For both methods, make sure not to soak the mushrooms: remember, shower not bath! You’ll want to get the mushrooms out of the water as soon as you can.

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How to Clean Mushrooms…the Right Way

Cremini mushrooms
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Should you wash mushrooms or brush off the dirt? To clear up this kitchen conundrum, here’s how to clean mushrooms…the right way.

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 2 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 minutes
  • Yield: N/A
  • Category: Essentials
  • Method: Washing
  • Cuisine: Vegetables

Ingredients

  • Mushrooms of any type (except morels*)

Instructions

  1. Fill a large bowl with water. Add the mushrooms and toss them in the water for a minute or so until the dirt mostly settles to the bottom. Remove from the bowl and pat dry. Or for a cheaters method, you can simply place the mushrooms in a colander and spray them with water until the dirt washes away.
  2. Cook using your favorite method, like Best Ever Sauteed Mushrooms, Roasted Mushrooms, or Grilled Mushrooms.

Notes

*Morels can be very dirty, so the require cleaning with a scrub brush.

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About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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5 Comments

  1. Howard Bailey says:

    If you are just curious to know which mushroom you have growing you can download one of several plant identifier apps.
    However you should never trust the app to tell you it’s edible. That should only be done by an experienced mycophile using actual samples of the mushroom, not photos.
    With Plantsnap (plant identifying app) you can upload & share photos with other flora enthusiasts.






  2. Edith B Salgado says:

    Hi, so I have been trying to figure out if these beautiful yellow mushrooms growing in my front lawn, are safe to eat. Please help me figure it out thank you

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      We don’t have experience with foraging, sorry!

  3. Anonymous says:

    Do not use a brush on morels. Soak morels in salt water to kill bugs and remove dirt. Rinse. Gently pat dry.

  4. Summer B says:

    You can wash mushrooms. 🙂 Alton Brown did an episode of Good Eats years ago where he tested out the idea that mushrooms shouldn’t be washed. He weighed some mushrooms, then soaked them in a bowl of water for quite a while. Then he removed them from the water, weighed them again a day the change in weight was so minimal, it wasn’t an issue. Ever since then, I always wash my mushrooms.