The Easiest Way to Clean Mushrooms
/I love love LOVE eating mushrooms. They're SO delicious and incredibly healthy, but I always hated cleaning them.
I'd read online that the best way to clean mushrooms was to rub the dirt off with a paper towel. Well that takes forever and doesn't even work that well. Using a little mushroom brush (although great for cleaning freshly picked mushrooms for storage like the chanterelles I foraged in Finland) is also quite timely.
I've also tried running individual mushrooms under running water which isn't very efficient either. Lol some times I just said screw it and completely gave up on cleaning semi-dirty mushrooms all together -- I just cooked them with a little bit of dirt!
Well thanks to the Executive Chef at The Mint Gastropub in Bethlehem, PA, Erik Hoffman, I learned the easiest and quickest way to clean mushrooms (and I'm no longer eating soil in my gravy!).
The Easiest and Quickest Way to Clean Mushrooms
Before you begin, know that this is how you should clean mushrooms right before you cook with them, not store them. Onward!
Step 1. Ask yourself, "do the mushrooms even need cleaned? Are they actually dirty?" If your answer to this question is yes, proceed to step 2. If they aren't dirty, no need to clean them. Cook on!
Step 2. Give a lil' shake-shake, dunk-dunk to the mushrooms using your hands.
Step 3. Remove the mushrooms by lifting them out of the water bowl and place them into a different clean bowl.
NOTE: DO NOT pour the water over the mushrooms into a colander for example. You'll just get the mushrooms dirty again!
Step 4: Discard your dirty water and then 'oo' and 'aw' over how beautifully clean your mushrooms are and enjoy cooking with them!
Now it's time to hear from you. Answer today's Take Control Now Question by clicking 'comment' below.