So awkward, but come on it says right there on the package to wash those mushrooms or whatever it is… You’re not their mom but you don’t wanna eat feces or whatever ended up on the produce. A quick rinse is never going to be perfect but it’s better than nothing.
In the absence of legitimate suggestions, commiseration is welcome too 😉
There are a lot of people who think, largely due to misinformed cooking shows, that you shouldn’t wash mushrooms, just wipe them off.
If you want them washed, maybe say “Hey, I can help out by washing those for you.”
As far as I’ve found, they’re both right. You shouldn’t have to wash your mushrooms, but it’s not a bad idea if you’re not buying fancy mushrooms.
The generic button mushroom variants you’re probably getting at the grocery store are grown in compost, which often contains some manure - ie poops.
But before growing mushrooms it’s pasteurized. Mycelium is picky, and fairly easily out-competed by other stuff, so to make sure you’re just growing mushrooms and not bacteria you basically have to sterilize the medium they’re grown in.
But those mushrooms are often grown in open beds, and harvested by hand. And that means they get that poop dirt right up on them. Will it immediately give you super botulism? Probably not but it’s still kinda ick.
Fancier mushroom varieties from smaller cultivars are the ones that actually don’t really need washed and often shouldn’t be. They’re grown in highly sterile environments and they fruit out of a container, so they never touched the poop. And that’s if they even used compost - lots use straw or wood.
If you do decide to wash your button mushrooms it’s not a big deal, they aren’t actually sponges, and they don’t absorb as much water as some cooking shows say. If they get soggy it probably means they’re old, try putting them in the fridge for a few hours uncovered. It’s basically a dehydrator.
Not only should you wash them, you should also start a sautee with a couple tablespoons of water, then add fats later.
If you add the fat first, the mushrooms are going to release so much liquid that you just have to boil that off anyway.
I sweat the mushrooms in the microwave before I sauté. They release a ton of water, which I use on another dish’s preparation (rice, pasta, kale, etc).
Did the information upthread ruin that method for you? Hopefully that water isn’t all pesticidey and poopy… (I have no insight on that)
Obligatory Adam Ragusea video for this topic
Thank you. I had not seen that before. Love his stuff, and it makes so much sense.