and make sure I get any and all dirt off of them. I figure all those folks who got sick eating mushrooms here a while back weren't washing or cooking them. That is so gross I hate eating dirt, even my turnip greens I run through numerous rinses. I love all stuff from the garden except DIRT:mad:

I wipe them off with a clean damp cloth.

I wipe them off with a damp paper towel if they come pretty clean. I find that when I wash them they do absorb enough moisture to change the texture in my mushrooms. You can tell me all you want that it makes no difference but I can tell. If they are really dirty then I wash them because I'd rather have the texture changed than eat grit.

I do wash mushrooms, even if they absorb water. I can't stand the thought of eating something contaminated (I have issues).

I made a stir fry with ****akiis and oyster mushrooms yesterday and washed them both. I noticed that the ****akis didn't seem to be affected by the water, but the oyster mushrooms seemed really soggy.

I prefer to brush them, myself- maybe a quick rinse if they're particularly grimy. I also trim all the gills from under the cap of portobellos 'cause I can't stand how they turn everything gray and muddy-looking...