How to: Clean & Slice Mushroom

Picture by Liz Oxhorn 

I have not always been a fan of mushrooms...I think it's because we usually ate the canned white mushrooms growing up. Those things still gross me out on pizzas....But when I discovered that there's a world of fresh mushrooms, I became addicted! I particularly love baby bella mushrooms because they have the meaty texture of portobello mushrooms but are far easier to cook/clean!

So how do you clean mushrooms?  Well first, you can't rinse them in the sink.  If you've ever done this, you know that the mushrooms go soggy and fall apart, which is not appetizing! So instead take a damp cloth and gently rub the dirt off of the mushroom. You can then snap off the woody stem and toss those away.

Picture by Liz Oxhorn

What you are left with are beautiful, clean mushrooms.

Picture by Liz Oxhorn

You can easily stop at this point, stuff the mushrooms with a nice filling, and roast them. Or....

Picture by Liz Oxhorn

Slice them! Since there is no stem to make the mushroom unstable, you can easily place the mushroom cap on your cutting board and slice in any direction/thickness you like.

Picture by Liz Oxhorn

Now you're ready to add the mushrooms to a soup, sauce or casserole...or you can saute them in a little olive oil, garlic, & rosemary as an easy side dish.