I hope this doesn't sound like a stupid question BUT?!
I hope this doesn't sound like a stupid question BUT?
I have never cooked with fresh mushrooms. Always used the canned. Now I'm venturing out and have collected several recipes using them but none tell me how to prepare them for cooking. Do I need to do anything special to them before adding them to my recipe? Like a special cleaning method?
Answers:
Not stupid in the slightest! :-)
It depends on what you will be doing with them. If you expect to be sautéing them, or frying them, avoid washing with water. Already mainly made up of water, they can absorb a little more doing this, but more importantly water gets into the nooks and crannies of the gills, not easily dried, and a splatter fest in your pan can start up when they hit the fat. Easier and better, when slightly soiled, just to give them a bit of a brush with some kitchen paper or a fine vegetable brush. (It'll save on stove cleaning afterwards, too! <g>)
Very often they need next to no cleaning at all, but if they do, and you're not going to be cooking directly in fat, a quick rinse under the tap wll be just fine.