How to Remove Grit From Dried Mushrooms

You can buy a wide variety of dried mushrooms including porcini, chanterelle, morel and shiitake. All of these mushrooms can contain grit that leaves an unpleasant texture in your finished dish. Morel mushrooms are particularly prone to grittiness thanks to the myriad holes and dents in their caps. You can remove some of the grit from dried mushrooms without rehydrating them, but it is best to do this right before rehydrating them, as the rehydration process can remove more of the grit.

• 1

  Put your dried mushrooms into a strainer. The strainer's holes should be small enough to prevent the mushrooms from falling through the strainer.

• 2

  Run cold water over the mushrooms. Move the mushrooms around gently, turning them over and exposing every side to the running water. This will allow the water to wash the grit away from every part of the mushroom.

• 3

  Set the strainer aside to allow the mushrooms to drain. As the water drains away from the mushrooms, it will carry much of the grit away with it.

• 4

  Bring enough water to completely cover all of the mushrooms to a boil in a pot. Remove the pot from the heat as soon as the water boils and add the mushrooms to the pot. Stir gently, then allow the mushrooms to sit in the cooling water for 20 to 30 minutes to rehydrate the mushrooms. During this process, the remaining grit (and much of the flavor) from the mushrooms will come out into the water. Remove the mushrooms from the hot water with a slotted spoon, then squeeze them gently over the pot to remove any excess liquid.

• 5

  Put a coffee filter into the mouth of a container and pour the mushroom water through the filter. This will remove the grit and give you mushroom-flavored liquid you can use to increase the mushroom taste in your dish.