How To Wash Mushrooms Without Accidentally Making Them Soggy

Whether you're adding them to a salad, tossing them into a creamy risotto, or grilling them up as a hearty main, mushrooms are likely a regular in your crisper drawer. But, before you cook them, of course you must wash them. This is where they demand a little special treatment. Because of their delicate, porous nature, mushrooms can act like little sponges. They easily soak up liquid and become waterlogged if submerged in water, turning soggy. Since mushrooms are often sold visibly dirty with bits of earth still on them, skipping the cleaning step altogether is certainly not an option. So, Chowhound spoke exclusively with Jeremy Blutstein, executive chef of Mavericks Montauk and Shark Bar Montauk, about how exactly to best clean your 'shrooms without ruining their texture.

Blutstein, who features stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer on his menu, doesn't mince words on the topic: "Wash your dang mushrooms." He advises to use water to wash them before eating or cooking with them. "Fill your sink with cold water. Add your mushrooms and agitate them, the dirt will fall to the bottom of the sink," he instructs. The key to keeping them from going slimy, though, is to remove them from the water as soon as they're clean and to let them thoroughly dry out by arranging the washed 'shrooms on a rack in the fridge.

Mushroom misinformation is certainly a thing. You wouldn't be the only one who's handled or cooked with 'shrooms incorrectly at one point. Folks wash them like they would anything else, or even — don't tell Jeremey Blutstein — skip washing altogether. Both are big no-nos. Blutstein says mushrooms are covered in all sorts of gunk, dirt, sand, and "creepy crawly friends" hiding out on sliced portobellos and certainly the intricate gills of a frilly chanterelle.

Some prefer to dry clean their mushrooms by wiping them down with a paper towel. However, it's easy to miss dirt and grime this way, so the dry cleaning method is considered a mushroom misconception at this point. Washing in water, per the chef's recommendation, ensures anything you don't want to eat falls off and sinks to the bottom of the sink. To prevent sliminess, don't skip the crucial last step of letting them dry out for a spell in the fridge before cooking them. Overwashing, without the chance to dry out, is one of the main mushroom mistakes. That's why Blutstein says to both pat dry and let the fridge zap excess humidity. Don't feel like going through this cleaning effort? You can always cook with shelf-stable dried mushrooms. But, when fresh is best, be sure to wash, pat dry, and air them out in the fridge before using.