Mushrooms in a paper bag.

The Biggest Misconception About Cleaning Mushrooms

NEWS

By CHLOE O’DONNELL

Person adding sliced mushrooms to a pot.
While mushrooms can bring depth to a variety of dishes, a factor that may turn people off from them is the misconception that you can’t wash mushrooms before you cook with them.
Champignon mushrooms in a crate.
The advice to avoid exposing mushrooms to water stems from the concern that their absorbent nature may lead to excessive liquid absorption, adversely affecting their texture.
A bowl of mushrooms.
However, over the past few years, the common consensus has changed after it was found that giving mushrooms a bath or submerging them in water isn’t nearly as disastrous.
Water running over hands holding mushrooms.
America’s Test Kitchen demonstrated this by weighing a handful of mushrooms, soaking them in water, and then weighing them again to measure the moisture build-up after removal.
Hands holding raw mushrooms next to a basket of mushrooms.
They found that while the mushrooms did take on a little over a teaspoon of water, the majority of it was accumulated on the surface, which could easily be dried with a towel.
A person cleaning mushrooms with a kitchen towel.
While America’s Test Kitchen recommends rinsing your mushrooms in cold water before cooking, stick to brushing them clean if you’re going to leave them uncooked to avoid spoilage.
A pile of sliced mushrooms.
Additionally, pre-sliced mushrooms typically don’t require washing due to their protective packaging. As for cleaning wild mushrooms, gently brush the dirt off to avoid damage.