What's the best way to clean mushrooms and other "dirt" vegetables?

I'm sure mushrooms - at least here in the U.K. - are grown in sterilised soil, so a quick wipe with a paper towel is all they need.

You wash them under water, and dry with a paper towel. Purists will tell you the mushrooms will absorb the water, and to just wipe them with a towel, but I have never found a difference and I have tried both ways.

If you’re cooking the mushrooms, e coli won’t be an issue at all. I eat raw mushrooms all the time, with no ill effects.

Thanks, R1 and R2.

After the romaine lettuce e-coli cases here in the US, I'm really afraid of eating raw food, and usually try to clean them well before eating.

Most vegetables don't absorb the soap, because the soap will wash off.

Mushrooms are different, though. They really do absorb anything you put on it. Even water!

I guess I'll just have to wipe them down, and be done with it.

What's wrong with a mushroom absorbing a little water?

I’m going to assume you’re new to cooking. No food needs to or should be washed with soap. Just rinsed. And chicken shouldn’t be rinsed because you’re more likely to cross-contaminate.

OP has poopoo coli from as all the dirty ass she has eaten!

Damp cloth or paper towel, OP.

Wipe, wipe, wipe.

R5 there have been more than a few MDs saying that you should wash your veggies and fruits with a bit of dish soap to remove contaminants. I don't think any of them have been professional chefs though.

It's the sort of little tidbit you'd see on the morning shows in the cooking segment.

CDC disagrees and any doc on tv saying that is a quack, r8.

You just brush off any soil/dirt.

R9 oh, I'm sure, that's why I pointed out the morning television segments is where stuff like this crops up.

Foods that are eaten raw should be thoroughly cleaned. But it’s safer is simply to cook all vegetables. That’s the solution in the Far East where vegetables are raised using human waste as fertilizer. There are special rinses for washing vegetables. But soap residue on foods is not good or good for you. If you don’t want to buy a special rinse, a dilute solution using vinegar and water or lemon juice and water should be sufficient. Obviously you want to get rid of any visible dirt and do a lot of extra rinsing for anything that will be eaten raw. Mushrooms are not raised with fertilizers, and often in special barky or peaty soils. I still rinse mushrooms in water though, very briefly

tw

Home gardeners should be careful of rat lung worm disease.

If you grow lettuce or other vegetables in the garden, snails and slugs can come into contact with rat feces, and they can spread germs through their slime trails.

RLWD is similar to meningitis, so wash vegetables thoroughly!

I would put them in a sealed container, fill 2/3rd with water and shake well- then drain off the water and tamp dry with a paper towel. If you flash pan fry them that should take care of the water. I just had a Trader Joe’s frozen chicken and shiitake mushroom meal and it was AWFUL.

I used to love mushrooms, one of my faves as a child was to fry them in seasoned tempura. I was a fattie.

Maybe you should skip the mushrooms. I mean, even if you clean them to your satisfaction, later on you might become worried and sorry.

In the US, canned mushrooms can have up to but never more than 19 maggots per can. Or perhaps up to 20.

[quote][R9] oh, I'm sure, that's why I pointed out the morning television segments is where stuff like this crops up.

Ok, but please don’t wash your produce with soap. Not sure if you’re OP or just commenting on the morning shows recommending it, but for OP-please-no more soap.

Can you wash the mushrooms, dry them with a paper towel and then sun dry them to remove any excess moisture? Even with the paper towel drying they always give out water when cooked and become soggy and mushy.

What R1 and R10 said. You don't wash mushrooms. Buy a new toothbrush and just brush off the dirt, or use a paper towel. They soak up water like a sponge, so washing is never a good idea.

I always was mushrooms and all vegetables just before cooking. You don't soak the mushrooms. Running water is fine.

I feel like Alton Brown (still an asshole) addressed this and compared washing and wiping and then weighed mushrooms and said there was no difference. I wash them. They’re either getting sautéed and giving off moisture, or going in something saucey and taking on moisture so I figure it makes no difference either way.

I’ve seen people peeling mushrooms. This was in NZ. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

I don't get people who peel vegetables in general unless it's something obviously dirty like potato skins but even then I try to avoid it because most of the nutrients are right under the skin.

Woolite is best for delicate cleaning jobs.

R18, start with some butter (or other fat) in the pan and turn the heat up to medium. The higher heat is, the more it will dry the mushrooms and cause the liquid to evaporate, while the fat will help the mushrooms to brown. Once the mushrooms start to brown and the liquid is pretty much gone, sprinkle a little salt over and that will pull the last of the liquid out of the mushrooms (very little at that point) to evaporate.

I like the idea of having a toothbrush in the kitchen just for cleaning mushrooms 🪥

R21, I don't think Alton Brown is an asshole and he did prove that mushrooms absorb hardly any water when washed (not soaked).

R27, sorry, he’s a conservative, bigoted, asshole.

If you use a non stick pan, there is no need for butter. The water in the mushrooms will be enough for frying.

I sometimes fry mushrooms, then add a little butter and soy sauce when they’re fried.

0/10

R26 or you can be fancy and have a conversation item, too!

Wtf? Who the fuck washes vegetables with *soap*? I thought this was a joke post at first!

I wouldn't use dish soap for any vegetables. I don't think this is very healthy. Someone mentioned you can buy vegetable soap at Trader Joe's on a other thread.

Think of everyone who has handled the fruits and vegetables you buy before you buy them. Why WOULDN’T you wash them with soap?!

R34 because soap tastes horrible and is likely at least unhealthy?

DISH SOAP?!

You don't deserve mushrooms.

R35 - you would rinse OFF the soap. DUH. Or at least I would.

R37, Gills. Duh back.

Lick them or pee on them, OP.

This is how I handled my fear of contamination. Yes, I'm OCD, but I can live with that.

I don't wash or rinse mushrooms ever. Even though mushrooms can handle water, the entry of water into the fibers will degrade the texture. You want that texture to hold up against your cooking liquid...oil, vinegar, butter, soy sauce, etc.

I don't even bother brushing them as is recommended. I always cook them and rely upon the great to kill anything. I've never had issues with mushrooms and I think a lot of the drama around them is stemming from the ick factor.

OP I should read you to filth for cleaning vegetables with household soap. Lol, perhaps your young.

I bet OP was pouring bleach up his ass because Trump said it cured Covid.

Frequent mushroom eater here. (Mushrooms that I cook.)

Yes, I do wash mushrooms, but only right before I cook them. They're delicate.

I put them in a colander and run water over them while tossing them. I will keep an eye out for some dirt that isn't coming off via this method.

I lay down some paper towels in my dish rack and put the mushrooms on those to dry off. You could use a kitchen (cloth) towel.

Slice, then cook.