Many sources say you should avoid soaking mushrooms in water to wash them. Instead, wipe them with a damp paper towel or remove any dirt with a mushroom brush. Mushrooms are waterlogged but also act like little sponges. If you soak them in water, they will absorb even more water and thus will take longer to cook. Is any of this true? Shouldn’t you clean your mushrooms better than this?
The answer is, no, it’s not true and yes, you should clean your mushrooms better than this. Would you feel clean after a few swipes with a damp paper towel? Mushrooms are often caked with dirt and perhaps even manure. It’s going to take more than a wipe with a paper towel or a mushroom brush to make them fit to eat.
Yes, Soak or Wash Your Mushrooms in Water
It is perfectly ok, and desirable, to soak your mushrooms in water just as you would lettuce or other vegetables. I would advise at least three changes of water and a little rub with your fingers to make sure you dislodge any dirt. Mushrooms do not absorb that much water when they are soaked. You can easily test this yourself by weighing some mushrooms on a kitchen scale, soaking them for a period of time, draining them well, and re-weighing them. You’ll find they do not gain much weight, if any. Thus, they have not absorbed that much water.
And even if they do absorb water, it won’t add that much at all to your cooking time. What’s worse, nasty dirt-covered mushrooms or a few more minutes cooking time to shed any excess water? Good cooking takes time, anyway.
So, wash your mushrooms properly, either by soaking them in water or running cold water over them. Let them dry a bit before cooking them with oil (although it won’t really matter in the end as you’ll be cooking off a lot of water, anyway). Wash them before slicing, however.
Many cooks place their mushrooms in a colander and run water over them while rubbing them with their hands, until clean. I use a salad spinner basket and bowl to soak them (with agitating and rubbing) and run through a few changes of fresh water to make sure they are clean. My mushrooms turn out delicious, not waterlogged. In fact, I can’t keep the family from trying to filch them before I use them in whatever dish I am making.
