Shoutout to the line cook who told me to stop washing mushrooms

Old head at my last gig in Portland kept yelling at me to just brush dirt off shiitakes instead of rinsing them. Ignored him for 6 months. Finally tried it and yeah, they sear way better now. Anyone else stubborn about old school tips from veteran cooks?

2 comments

2 Comments

rivera.holly8d ago

Read somewhere that washing mushrooms makes them soak up water like a sponge.

mila_sullivan7d ago

Oh man that myth drives me crazy. My mom used to tell me that too and I believed it for years. Turns out mushrooms are actually porous and they don't really soak up water any more than like a chicken breast or a piece of meat would. I started rinsing mine under cold water and patting them dry with paper towels and they cook up just fine. But I get it the worry is real especially when you spend good money on fancy creminis or whatever.