'Shrooms, dried, canned, what to save and how?

[Ol Gabe]

Dear Fellow Gastropods, i.e., Fellow Creators of Good Eats!
After perusing the comments on Del's thread about his Dutch Oven Meat Loaf and the final comments about 'Shrooms and drying the stems and grinding them down then adding later, it made me think about how many of us that buy the packaged 'Shrooms in a blue square box or somesuch always cut the base of the stem off and toss it, then wash the main part before slicing or dicing and then tossing into whatever we are cooking.
So, here is my question and I hope to get some interesting replies from all you gourmands out there:
1. Do you use the 'Shrooms right out of the box and not even wash them, thinking the provendor has already done so?
2. Do you slice off the bottom of the stem and toss or save for later use after washing?
3. Do you use the liquid from the can of what always seem to be Chinese import 'Shrooms or wash then use?
Hope to read some interesting replies, 'Shrooms are are great additive to any recipe, canned or fresh, especially the Bellas grown in Illinois!
Best regards and good eating!
'Ol Gabe

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Where I come from "shrooms" are illegal!!




It's the psylocibin

[Stu Kettle]

Nuthin's illegal till ya get caught. 

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[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Nuthin's illegal till ya get caught. 

Yeah!   I heerd about dat elebanth commandment

[Cutter Carl]

I never wash fresh mushrooms as they are loaded with moisture.  Best bet is a vegtable brush or a cotton towel to brush any dirt off.  Never cut off the end of the stems unless they are uncooked in a salad. 

Dried mushrooms are different thing.  they have to be rehydrated in water prior to use.  Most of the time dried are more exotic, expensive items used in limited amounts. 

Canned mushrooms I don't use. 

Remember the white mushrooms in the blue stryo boxes contain a lot of moisture that cooks out.  If you use them as a topping on pizza eiither go lightly on the amount or rprecook them to remove some of the moisture or you'll have a soggy, watery pizza.

[Mogorilla]

If you all do not watch him, I highly recommend Alton Brown's Good Eats.  He essentially dispelled the myth about washing the fresh mushrooms.  I believe his experiment showed they did not appreciably asborb moisture.   I usually just brush mine off though.  I also recommend watching his technique for sauteing them.  I am the one who popps off the stems and dries them.   When I get a good bunch, I grind them to a powder in my spice grinder.   I add them to soups and sauces all the time.   My in-laws grow shrooms, shitake, crimini and button.  They get those plugs you put into a log of hardwood and sit back.  Works great and I get loads of them, fresh and dried.   I have a few food allergies and I am a chemist, so long ago I started cooking mostly from scratch.   My wife would thump me but good if I ever tried to serve her canned cream of mushroom soup.  I make it from scratch and it is one of those dishes to get me out of trouble. (we have it a lot.) 

I have mixed some powdered milk, chicken bouilon, mushroom powder a little cornstarch, salt, peper, and dried onion and garlic for a friend who likes to backpack.  Add water  and heat, he raved about it.