How do I Clean Portabellos ???

[Raw Jewelrylady]

Does anyone have a good way to clean Portabellos? I know they say to wipe them clean w/a paper towel, but I don't think they look clean enough to eat. I tried to wash w/water & they got very soggy. My Husband said he would eat them, so I let him, (which I always do when in doubt to see what will happen) LOL .. Thanks, Lana :rolleyes:

[ren]

Hi. I had portobellos for the first time too and washed them. I read that you're not supposed to wash them but gently hit them against the kitchen counter to knock loose any growing medium. I don't care though *lol* I will wash them anyway in some veggie wash.

[Raw Jewelrylady]

Thanks for letting me know I'm not the only one out there who has to wash first. Maybe I'll let them air dry more next time.

[jaurequi]

Hi,

There are little plastic thingys called, "mushroom brushes." :) I got mine at a health-food store, like Whole Foods Market, in the produce section. Probably just asking a store employee or the produce person might help to find it. They may be available at regular supermarkets too, but I don't know.

[vegangelist]

tho, you can just wipe off the tops with a paper towel or use a mushroom brush, some people (me in the beginning of my mushroom journey a few years ago) still find the darkness on the top disturbing (i did too).

i think that i learned this from a martha stewart show years ago (ok, no comments-she annoys the crap out of me, but she does know her stuff): on the cap, where it curls under towards the gill, turn it over and gently grab (i think she used the edge of a melon-baller, but you can use other things incl your finger) the edge where it comes to the gills and pull up and back gently. basically, you are gonna peel the top layer (the gunky one) off of the mushroom. it is a pretty thin layer (so you don't lose much) and it peels very easily. now, if you are stuffing them or something, they will not look as pretty, but otherwise it is fine.

hope that makes sense, how i explained it.

kristi

[Sharon in Colorado]

I will wash them anyway in some veggie wash.

Be careful with that. I almost did the same thing with the veggie wash and looked at the label and it said not to clean mushrooms with it. Probably because they would absorb the cleaner. I've heard about using a damp cloth, which the dirt adheres to. Also the older the mushrooms, the harder they are to clean because they tend to get slimy.

[ren]

Thanks! I'll just wipe it off with a papertowel. I blended two cloves of garlic with olive oil and it tasted like garlic bread. Yummy!!!

[carolg]

Right or wrong I turn over mushroom, then slice off the a sliver of the bottom of the mushroom. I then toss that waste. So now no ridges. That's all the fuss I do with them.
carolg

[rawpriestess]

Well, I am a real nature spirit, I don't do anything to them. If there is a big piece of dirt, I pick it off, other than that, I don't do anything.

If the recipe calls for the portabello to be stemless, I yank out the stem, and save it for a recipe, or salad or whatever.

I think they are real earthy, bohemian looking, so they intrigue me.

I also love the super ivory white button mushrooms, but I hate morels, they are sooooo ugly, I had them growing in my yard, and didn't know what they were, so I plowed them under.

We also have shaggy main mushrooms growing in our yard, I give them away to a friend who loves them. Personally, I can't justify eating anything that grows for a couple of weeks out of the year, then turns instantly into black ooze.

If it looks too creepy, I won't eat it. (I am such a wuss, when it comes to icky looking stuff)

[VeganVixen]

Im not a mushroom clean freak,I wash them and eat or prepare!

[Raw Jewelrylady]

Thank you all for the info. I did the Kristi method (Martha's way & yes Martha bugs me too - but she does know her stuff /LOL) ;) , & it worked great.

[RawTruth]

Count me in as one who wipes the tops with a damp paper towel. It actually takes more than one paper towel since it gets dingy so fast. When they've been washed in water, they don't taste the same to me; they're so absorbent. And the gills are so flavorful, I wouldn't want to remove them.

[vegangelist]

Raw Truth, just to clarify, the "martha way" as I posted doesn't remove the gills....just the top layer (the dark gunky part) of the cap. gills remain intact.

kristi