SC - Mushrooms!

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Valerie A Carson wrote:

> The info I have on dehydrating mushrooms says to clean mushrooms and
> slice, chop or dry whole.  Also, to be sure to rinse, but do not soak
> because the mushrooms will absorb water (quite contrary to your goal),
> and that they should be soaked in cold water for 30 minutes to rehydrate.
>  I am fairly new to this whole dehydrating thing and haven't tried
> mushrooms yet myself, let me know how it turns out if you do it.
> 
> Arianwen

Sometimes even rinsing mushrooms will cause them to absorb a significant
amount of moisture. Some people recommend wiping them with a slightly
damp cloth. This is obviously more labor-intensive than some people are
prepared to get, and it is up to you how retentive you allow yourself to
become. For what it is worth, the amount of outside moisture introduced
onto the mushrooms seems to be in inverse proportion the the good
appearance of the final product: they oxidize very quickly when wet.

I once worked with a chef who would not allow wild mushrooms to be
washed in any way.  He used to say, "People eat these things because
they taste like the forest. If you wash the forest off them, then what's
the point?" He may have something there. Or, alternately, he may be a
dangerous lunatic. I worked with the man, so I'm biased...

Anyway, I sometimes rinse mushrooms one at a time, holding them in such
a way that the gills or tubes (depending on species) don't get wet.

Adamantius