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On 5, Alton Brown and Harold McGee showed that mushrooms did not absorb water when washing. https://www.mashed.com/311042/this-is-who-alton-brown-thinks-should-
by silverlake 5y ago
On 5, Alton Brown and Harold McGee showed that mushrooms did not absorb water when washing. https://www.mashed.com/311042/this-is-who-alton-brown-thinks-should-be-the-next-host-of-cutthroat-kitchen/ https://www.mashed.com/311042/this-is-who-alton-brown-thinks...
- ehsankia 5y agoI don't think it's about absorbing, but more about how you pat dry your meat before searing. But then who wants to sit and pat dry two dozen tiny mushrooms one by one after wetting them.
- teruakohatu 5y agoSautéing mushrooms drains the liquid from them, so I do wonder how much difference a damp mushroom exterior is going to make, beyond extending the cooking time slightly.
- djur 5y agoYeah, mushrooms don't sear like meat. They only brown after enough water has been cooked out. The only real reason to dry off your mushrooms before cooking them is if you're frying them in a lot of fat, to prevent spatter.
- HWR_14 5y agoI never pay dry my mushrooms. I always wash them. They come covered in stuff. The water left on the outside seems pretty negligible compared to what gets cooked out of the mushrooms.
- tptacek 5y agoMushrooms are full of water naturally; the first thing that happens when you put them in a saute pan is that it fills up with liquid. Having your steak bone dry helps get a fast sear on it, but I don't know that that holds for mushrooms.
- TheSpiceIsLife 5y agoI just put them in a colander and set them in front of a 6" fan, giggle about after a few minutes, they dry fine. The 6" desk fan is an essential kitchen appliance.
- germinalphrase 5y agoI’d trust Harold McGee on just about anything.
- yumraj 5y agoFor me the issue is not whether they will absorb the water or not, but aren’t they dirty. We wash everything before cooking, except meat.
- xarope 5y agoin some kitchens I've seen, they use a brush to brush away the dirt/soil from the mushrooms. Me? I wash them!