Dirt and Grit in Dried Mushrooms

[Shel_B]

 I've rarely used dried mushrooms, and the few times I have I've soaked them before using them in a recipe. If there was any dirt in the 'shrooms, it would leach out into the water and be discarded, or so I've read and believed.

 

I want to make mushroom powder from dried 'shrooms I found in the cupboard a few days ago. Instructions I've seen say to grind 'em up, and no mention was made about dirt.

 

Do I need to be concerned about dirt and grit in these mushrooms? Are some types of mushrooms more problematic than others? Is the whole dirt and grit thing about dried mushrooms overblown?

 

The ground mushrooms will be added to a meat sauce to enhance the flavor.

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 12:42 AM by Shel_B (log)

[Maison Rustique]

I use dried mushrooms fairly often and do grind them into powder to use. I've never had any issues with dirt or grit in them. And when I soak them to use, I use the water--lots of good flavor in it if you're making a soup or braising.

[liuzhou]

What kind of mushrooms do you have?

[Shel_B]

Porcini, Shiitaki, and Oyster ...

[TicTac]

Toss them in a sieve and shake it for a good hour or so - hopefully you get rid of all the evil dirt and its cousin, grit!

[liuzhou]

34 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

Porcini, Shiitaki, and Oyster ...

 

Porcini and shiitake aren't normally a problem A good shake should dislodge most dust. 

 

Oyster mushrooms aren't one kind of mushroom. It's a group. I wouldn't recommend drying them. It's very difficult. They're mostly water and you'd be left with next to nothing grindable. 

 

The ones to be careful of include morels and others with obvious places for dust, dirt, insects etc to hide.

[Shel_B]

2 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

Porcini and shiitake aren't normally a problem A good shake should dislodge most dust. 

 

Oyster mushrooms aren't one kind of mushroom. It's a group. I wouldn't recommend drying them. It's very difficult. They're mostly water and you'd be left with next to nothing grindable. 

 

The ones to be careful of include morels and others with obvious places for dust, dirt, insects etc to hide.

All the mushrooms are already dried. The package said "oyster mushrooms." so that's what I know. I'm not very knowledgeable about 'shrooms. Thanks for your help.

Edited Tuesday at 03:43 PM by Shel_B (log)

[AlaMoi]

the commercial culture of mushrooms is done in sterilized medium - typically horse manure&straw.  so the 'dirt&stuff' is highly unlikely to be an issue.

 

'oh but companies cheat!' - true, however when mushroom companies cheat and don't thoroughly sterilize the growing medium . . .

they lose the whole crop to diseases/<whatevers>

 

I use varieties of dried mushrooms - simmered/steeped/wrung out for the 'mushroom liquor' - used in gravies/sauces.

not a fan of the mushy rubbery texture of reconstituted dried 'schrooms . . .

 

Edited 11 hours ago by AlaMoi (log)