How to Clean Button Mushrooms

Co-authored by Ollie George Cigliano and Janice Tieperman

Last Updated: July 11, 2022 References

Button mushrooms are a hardy fungus that go well with a variety of foods. Whether you’re eating them fresh or preparing them in a cooked meal, it’s important to ensure that you’re working with clean produce. To get your button mushrooms as spotless as possible, brush and rinse away any obvious dirt from the surface. If you’d like to get your mushrooms extra clean, try peeling the outer layer of skin from each mushroom. With a little bit of prep time, you’ll be ready to enjoy clean, tasty button mushrooms!

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Removing Any Dirt

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1
Brush away any visible dirt with a paper towel if you’re eating the mushrooms raw. Take a dry paper towel and rub any dusty or grimy spots on the mushroom. Continue wiping until all of the dirt is removed. As you work, set aside a clean bowl or pan so you can separate the clean mushrooms from the dirty ones.
- If you don’t want to use a paper towel, try using a pastry brush or your fingertips instead.
- Since they can absorb moisture easily, you don’t want your raw mushrooms to be soggy when you’re using them as a salad topper. Because of this, it’s better to wipe off your mushrooms instead of rinsing them. ^{[1]
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2
Rub each mushroom in a pan of cool water if you’re planning on cooking them. Fill a wide, circular pan at least halfway with cool water. Take each individual mushroom and place it under the water to get it soaked. Next, rub your fingers in short, smooth motions along the cap and stem to get rid of any obvious dirt and other specks. Once you’ve finished rinsing and scrubbing your mushrooms, set them aside on a clean plate.
- You might see small, thin pieces of mushroom skin fall off at this time. Don’t worry—that’s just a sign that your button mushrooms are getting clean. ^{[2]
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3
Rinse the mushrooms under cool water before cooking with them. Set all of the dirt-free mushrooms in a pan, bowl, or colander to keep them in one place. As you hold the bowl over the sink, turn on the faucet so the mushrooms can be doused with cool water. Move the container of mushrooms in a circular motion so that all of the mushrooms get evenly rinsed. ^{[3]
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- Since cooked mushrooms will be exposed to other ingredients, it doesn’t matter as much if they’re a little damp going into the cooking process.
- If you want, you can stop the cleaning process here. Some people don’t see the need to peel way any mushroom skins, and that’s perfectly fine. ^{[4]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Peeling Away the Skin

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1
Pinch and remove the stems if you don’t want to use them. Check your recipe and determine if the recipe needs entire button mushrooms or just the caps. If your dish doesn’t need any mushroom stems (or if you’d just prefer to remove them), then feel free to get rid of them. Use your thumb and pointer finger to grip the stalk, then tug it out with a firm pull. If the stem refuses to budge, trying twisting it a bit.
- If you know from the get-go that you’re not going to be needing your mushroom stems, feel free to remove and toss them before you wipe off any dirt. ^{[5]
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2
Start peeling away the skin from the mushroom cap with a knife. Use a knife with a short blade to pry away the skin from the edge of the button mushroom cap. Look for the especially wrinkly sections of mushroom skin along the curve between the cap and stalk. With the blade of the knife, start peeling off the skin from the cap. ^{[6]
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- You can also use your fingers to peel away the outer skin.
3
Work in sections, going in a circle as you remove the skin. Continue peeling away the outer skin of the button mushrooms with your fingertips or the blade of a knife. Take note that the skin will probably come off in triangular chunks. Keep removing the skin until the entire surface of the button mushroom is white. ^{[7]
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- When peeled, white button mushrooms will look like chunks of mozzarella cheese.
If you’ve decided to keep the mushroom stems attached, use the same peeling technique to remove their skin. Unlike the caps, the skin will peel from the stems in thinner, smaller pieces. Once a mushroom is fully peeled, set it aside in a separate container. ^{[8]
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5
Store the button mushrooms in their original packaging. Keep the button mushrooms fresh by placing them back in their original carton. Since all of the mushrooms have absorbed some water in the rinsing and peeling process, carefully wrap the carton with plastic wrap. Try to wrap the container up pretty tightly, but keep it loose enough so the mushrooms have room to breathe. ^{[9]
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- For instance, when you tap the plastic wrap with your finger, it shouldn’t be rigid. Instead, there should be a little “give” to it.
- Another option to store fresh mushrooms is to keep them in a brown paper bag loosely folded.
Did you know? Mushrooms naturally release a product known as ethylene gas. Because of this, it’s important to keep any container or bag of button mushrooms loose so that this gas can be released properly.