Mushrooms will absorb water when washed which dilutes the flavour. I use a mushroom brush instead of washing to clean off dirt before cooking.

IÂm with Alton Brown on this one: mushrooms arenÂt absorbent. They grow in the rain! Try taking two pounds of mushrooms, carefully weighed. Clean one pound with a brush, wash the other pound in water and give them a little time to dry. Weigh both again. The one that was washed in water will have gained only an insignificant amount of weight, and it will taste less like dirt.

If you arenÂt familiar with Alton Brown, he has a fantastic show on the Food Network called Good Eats, and he is the announcer for Iron Chef America. And his cookbooks are some of the best IÂve ever read.

I saw the Alton Brown show also and he demonstrated that washing mushrooms is perfectly OK. I gently wash mine.

Button mushrooms can be brushed or dried, some other varieties will change significantly with more water. As it stands letting them sit in a paper bag for a few hours will reverse the extra water in buttons or shitake

Wash them this way:

Fill bowl of water; take mushrooms with stem on and dunk in water; rub cap gently if needed; gently shake dry; set to drip dry

Mushrooms do absorb water/liquids more easily with the stem removed - from that location. When I marinate them, I set them upside down and fill the cap with the marinade. It takes a bit of time for the mushroom to absorb it.

I wouldn't NOT wash them. Mushroom are a high pesticide use crop.

You should rinse them.If they are to wet dry saute them first.Like any Vegetables we dont know how clean the pickers are.In Italy we blanch the Mushrooms first dry saute and then add Olive oil and Garlic.....