How to clean mushrooms before cookingIt is unlikely that anyone will deny that champignons, among other representatives of the mushroom “kingdom”, are the most frequent “guests” on the tables of many families. The availability of these fruiting bodies is obvious, because if they are not collected in the forest, then they are simply bought in a store for a low fee. You can always cook a lot of delicious dishes from champignons, both for a holiday and for every day. And besides, beautiful and neat mushrooms can be eaten raw.

However, despite such popularity, to this day there are disputes about how to clean mushrooms and whether it should be done at all. As you know, cultivated mushrooms grown in greenhouses, greenhouses or farms collect very little dirt on themselves. Remains of earth, sand or moss can only be found on the stem, when the hat itself looks perfectly clean. Therefore, some housewives may decide not to waste time and effort on cleaning and, simply rinsing with water, are sent to the stove. And yet, before cooking, it is necessary to clean champignons, how to do it?

First of all, it is important to understand that no matter how clean the fruiting body may seem, it was still grown in non-sterile conditions.

The land in which champignons grow is well fertilized with substrates that contain a lot of nitrates. This means that you should not immediately throw fresh mushrooms into a pan or pan. But overdoing it with pre-cleaning is also not recommended. For example, even short-term soaking in water is contraindicated for champignons. As a result, such a procedure will negatively affect the taste of mushrooms and ready-made dishes with their participation. How to properly clean fresh champignons in order to subsequently prepare delicious and fragrant delicacies?

How to clean champignons for frying and other purposes (with step by step photos)

How to clean mushrooms before cookingHow to clean mushrooms before cooking

If you are interested in how to clean champignons for frying, then inspect the fruiting body before cooking. A fresh mushroom gives out elastic pulp of a white matte color, without damage and rot. If the champignons are stale, then this also immediately becomes noticeable: a darkened and “wrinkled” hat, sometimes there are broken and rotten edges. You can also “deal” with the latter, but cleaning them takes time and effort, and therefore more tedious.

How to clean champignons for frying, if for some reason their appearance can hardly be called perfectly fresh? It should be noted right away that noticeably spoiled mushrooms should be thrown away without regret. If 1/6 of the champignon is spoiled by rot, this is already a reason to dispose of it. It is allowed to use fruiting bodies if they have lain in proper conditions (in a refrigerator or any other cool place) for no more than 2 days. If they just started to darken and broke somewhere, then there is nothing wrong with their use in the future.

How to clean mushrooms before cooking
Gently pry off the mushroom film with a knife, moving from the edge of the cap to the center.
How to clean mushrooms before cooking
Trim broken and damaged areas, if any. When removing such places, be sure to capture a significant part of the healthy pulp, as rot has most likely already begun to form in the damaged areas.
How to clean mushrooms before cooking
Go to the leg and cut off the bottom part of it, as this is where most of the dirt collects.
How to clean mushrooms before cooking
Dilute in 1 liter of water 4 tbsp. l. 9% table vinegar. Rinse the mushrooms thoroughly in the resulting solution to remove the remaining dirt.
How to clean mushrooms before cooking
Then dry the mushrooms on a kitchen towel, and feel free to start frying.

It is much easier if you need to process mushrooms that have just been bought in a supermarket or on the market. To do this, you need to “arm yourself” with a clean kitchen sponge and a sharp knife that is comfortable to hold in your hands. So, how to clean fresh champignons for frying?

  • Take a kitchen sponge and with the hard side gently wipe each mushroom cap, while small specimens can not be wiped.
  • Look under the hat, as there may also be small grains of sand. It is more convenient to remove them with a regular toothbrush.
  • With a knife, remove the section of the leg where the dirt has collected. This must be done without fail, since ordinary washing is not able to rid the fruiting body of impurities. It is unlikely that anyone will like the crunch of grains of sand on their teeth when eating mushroom dishes.
  • Rinse the mushrooms in warm water and pat dry with a kitchen towel.

See step-by-step photos showing how to peel mushrooms for frying and other purposes.

How to peel mushrooms easily (with video)

How to clean mushrooms before cooking

Everyone loves pickled and salty snacks, especially if they are made from champignon mushrooms. In addition, no one will remain indifferent to the first and second courses with the participation of these fruiting bodies. But, unfortunately, not everyone knows how to clean champignons before cooking.

  • After removing the lower part of the legs, as described in the previous version, you can boil the mushrooms for 3-5 minutes, adding a pinch of citric acid to the water to preserve the color.
  • Drain the dirty water, and dry the fruiting bodies themselves on a paper towel.

Dry cleaning can be done with just a knife and a dry kitchen sponge or toothbrush. This option is good for salting champignons in a dry way.

  • In addition, having cut off all the dirt from the legs, you can place the mushrooms, after laying them in a colander, over a pot of boiling water.
  • After holding over the steam for 30-50 seconds, rinse the fruiting bodies in cool water, dry slightly and start cooking.

Some housewives, seeing that the mushrooms are perfectly clean and fresh, still cut off the hardened part of the leg, but they do without a kitchen sponge. They simply wash the fruiting bodies in a large amount of water, but do it quickly so that the product does not have time to absorb moisture.

We also suggest watching a video that demonstrates how to peel champignons easily and without much effort.

How to clean mushrooms

Adhering to useful recommendations for the primary processing of your favorite fruiting bodies, every housewife will be able to please herself and loved ones with delicious mushroom dishes all year round.

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