Cleaning Crimini Mushrooms Before Cooking
Wash before you slice. Sliced mushrooms absorb more water than whole mushrooms, so it is best to wash your crimini mushrooms before you slice them. If you bought them pre-sliced, check them carefully for signs of dirt. You may not need to wash them as they may have been washed before arriving at the grocery store.
Wipe off with a damp towel. Wet a paper towel or a clean kitchen cloth with water, and wring it out. Gently scrub off dirt from the top of the mushroom. Make sure that you clean out the gills or the flesh on the bottom of the cap as well.
Scrape off dirt with a pastry brush. If you are planning on eating the mushrooms raw, you should avoid using water unless absolutely necessary. Use a pastry brush or a similar tool to gently remove dirt from the surface of the cap. If the dirt is stubborn or crusted on, you can cut it off with a knife. A clean and dry toothbrush also works well for this purpose.
Cleaning Very Dirty Criminis
Rinse under running water. Turn the sink on a gentle flow with cool water. Rinse each mushroom individually, gently rubbing off dirt with your fingers. Pat dry with a paper towel when you are finished.
Place the mushrooms in a salad spinner. If you own a salad spinner, you can put the mushrooms inside the basket. Run or spray water over them until all of the dirt runs off. Put the top back on, and spin the basket until the mushrooms are dry.
Avoid soaking the mushrooms. Crimini mushrooms, like all mushrooms, absorb water easily, and this can make them taste spongy or rubbery. To avoid this, do not soak crimini mushrooms when washing them. Use only enough water to remove the dirt from the surface. Soaking mushrooms is really only a good option for mushrooms collected in the wild, such as morels or chanterelles. The vast majority of crimini mushrooms are raised commercially, and do not require soaking.
Handling Mushrooms Safely
Clean right before using. Crimini mushrooms should be washed right before you plan to use them. Do not wash them before putting them into the refrigerator. They should be stored unwashed, as moisture can make them spoil more quickly.
Throw out bruised mushrooms. As you wash the mushrooms, examine each one to make sure that it is still fresh. A fresh mushroom has firm flesh. A spoiled mushroom may be spongy, soggy, bruised, or slimy. Toss these mushrooms as they may no longer be safe to eat. Fresh mushrooms are dry, light, and smell earthy (like mushrooms). If they smell at all bad, then they are.
Remember to clean the bottom of the mushroom. Make sure that you gently but thoroughly clean the gills and the rim beneath the cap. While some criminis may not have developed gills yet, it is important that you still clean the bottom of the mushroom thoroughly. This is the area where most of the bacteria on mushrooms lives.
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