Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> Kili wrote:
>
> >> IME giving them a quick rinse in a screen colander, then hand washing
> >> off the flecks does _not_ cause them to absorb any water.
> >>
> >> I want the marinade to soak into the gills when I pop the stems out. :-)
> >> --
> >
> > I just hold them in the palm of my hand and rub them together under the
> > faucet. Quick rub. If I find clumps on shrooms still, I'll do a little
> > more individual rinsing.
>
> The whole wash-vs-don't-wash argument seems strange to me: Why not wash them
> and then LET THEM DRY?

Why bother... with cultivated mushrooms the growing medium is sterile,
and all marketed varieties sold in the US are cultivated. I simply
brush off the few bits with a clean towel and slice off the very end of
the stem... there is no good reason to wash mushrooms, and they
certainly do soak up water, and then they quickly begin to discolor.
When added to soups and stews wait until the very end of cooking to add
mushrooms, if you're going to cook fresh mushrooms for more than a few
minutes you may as well use canned. Anyway, for soups/stews dried are
best, especially for cream of 'shroom... reconstitute in plain water
and add towards the end of cooking.... powder a few in your coffee
whizzer to add an intoxicaticatingly potent mushroom concentrate.

Sheldon