Fresh mushrooms - whether collected from the meadow, grown on a bale of straw in the garden or bought in the supermarket - can be used in a variety of ways for soups, sauces and salads. The aromatic mushrooms also taste very tasty in scrambled eggs or in an omelet. To ensure that the delicate mushrooms do not lose their characteristic taste, you should follow our tips when cleaning and cutting.
How do you cut mushrooms correctly?
In order to cut mushrooms correctly, they should first be cleaned dry. Any pressure points and dried cuts on the stem can then be removed. Using a sharp paring knife, cut the mushrooms into slices, halves or quarters, depending on your desired size.
Never wash mushrooms
This includes, for example, that the mushrooms should never be washed - after all, it is not without reason that they are called “schwammerln” in the south of Germany and Austria. Like all mushrooms, mushrooms contain a lot of water, which is why they shrink a lot during cooking. You are probably familiar with this effect: after frying a large bucket of freshly picked mushrooms, only a small portion is left for two people. If you wash mushrooms before preparation, they only absorb more water - and lose both their aroma and bite, they become "spongy", soft and more rubbery in their consistency.
Cleaning mushrooms properly – this is how it works
Instead, mushrooms (like all other mushrooms) should always be cleaned when they are dry. But how do you get them really clean if they are dirty? Grinding between your teeth when eating the mushroom pan is not necessarily desirable, after all, no one wants to eat soil or substrate. There are various ways to do this.
When should you skin mushrooms?
Perhaps you have learned or seen that mushrooms are skinned - that is, the fine skin is removed from the cap. In fact, this is an effective way to clean heavily contaminated mushrooms, but it has the disadvantage that many nutrients - which are located directly under or in the skin - are lost. It is therefore best not to remove the skin or only if the mushrooms are actually very dirty or no longer look so fresh due to numerous bruises.
Cleaning with a brush
Instead, just grab a clean brush. Special brushes for cleaning mushrooms are available commercially, but a simple, thick-bristle brush will also do the job. Clean it thoroughly with water beforehand and then let it dry thoroughly. The brush hairs should not be coarse, but rather soft. Mushrooms are very sensitive and quickly develop unsightly pressure points. Finally, use the brush to remove the coarsest dirt.
Cleaning with kitchen paper
If any dirt remains afterwards, you can remove it with a kitchen towel by rubbing it carefully. Soft paper cloths are best suited for this, but you should use them dry and never moisten them. By the way, mushrooms should always be cleaned individually.
How to cut mushrooms
Once the mushrooms have finally been cleaned, you can cut them. The best way to do this is as follows:
- remove any pressure points with the kitchen knife
- remove dried interface on the stem
- only skin/peel if very dirty
- Cut mushrooms as desired with a sharp paring knife
- they can be sliced, halved or quartered
Tip
Use fresh mushrooms if possible. You can recognize this because the slats are still or largely closed.
