Soooooooo, who's right?

[Laura]

Alton Brown is God. He knows all and sees all.

 

[Luv'sTink]

Every time I WASH my mushrooms I think about RR saying you only need to wipe them, have you ever noticed that she gets the ones in the little containers? I think those have been cleaned? maybe? I would still wash them!

 

[Chuck S]

When I was in Jr. High we toured a mushroom farm. Wash them! The common mushrooms are grown in manure, in dark, damp buildings or caves (depending on the location of the farm). There are varieties (as another poster said) that grow on decaying trees or wood chips, but the mushroom most of us use are grown in manure.

 

[msdznyduck]

Maybe RR doesn't wash them..............her prep person does

 

[Allie322]

Has anyone watched DIRTY JOBS with Mike Rowe---Well on one episode he was a mushroom farmer for a day and let me tell you after seeing that show there is no way I would ever eat a mushroom without washing it first!

They don't use dirt to grow mushrooms but crap and lots of it and they recycle the crap from the first set of grown mushrooms to grow the second and the third and the ..... You get what I mean-----Essentially mushrooms are grown in a compost pile that contains a little of everything--Check out the episode if you get a chance----DH looked at me while we were watching it and said " If I needed another reason to not like mushrooms that would be it"

Mike Rowe is my hero! I saw that episode and I couldn't believe the nastiness that the mushrooms were growing in. It hasn't stopped me from eating mushrooms...I just wash and scrub them really well now!

 

[Mermaid02]

Alton is right and Rachel is very wrong.

 

[redshoes]

And I would believe Alton over RR anyday. I like her, but for pete's sake she thinks every darn thing she ever orders is "yummmy" or soooo good. She has to get a bad meal every once in awhile, don't ya think?

I would love to see just one episode of $40-a-day where she says here I am in such and such city and I can only spend $40 so our first stop is going to be the local Costco so we can graze through the free samples and then eat something decent later for dinner.

As for the mushroom issue, I rather wash and risk them being a little water logged than to not wash them and risk eating something that was not on the menu.

 

[llij]

Alton Brown is God. He knows all and sees all.

I love Alton and would go with what he says! (I also love RR too! )

BTW, I hate mushrooms so I don't have to worry about cleaning then since I won't touch them with a ten foot pole.

 

[cardaway]

I say wash them, but don't soak them. There is a difference.

I also believe in many cases it ain't idrt.

 

[SplshMtn99]

Well, mushrooms aside because I don't eat them. Let's look at the 2 people. (hahah.... I sound like Alton Brown )

Rachael Ray is a trained cook - not a trained chef. No formal food education at all. A cook with experience only & lots of experience managing. Also from a family that owned a restaurant. I think she's good at pinching the pennies & managing time -- both restaurant focuses.

Alton Brown studied at the New England Culinary Institute after deciding that 10 yrs of cineomatography & directing wasn't his true passion. I think he's good at knowing the nuances of food. Also scientific aspects of food & reactions.

I tend to believe him if given just these 2 people to pick from.

 

[dementia412]

just dont wash them as soon as you buy them, do it before you use them... and remember to store them in paper bags, no plastic (eww gross)

 

[MosMom]

I say wash them, but don't soak them. There is a difference.

I also believe in many cases it ain't idrt.

Ahhhh but Alton weighed them, soaked them, weighed them again and they didn't weigh any more or weighed very little more than before the long soak.

 

[cardaway]

Ahhhh but Alton weighed them, soaked them, weighed them again and they didn't weigh any more or weighed very little more than before the long soak.

Weight may not have changed but I bet people who really like mushrooms could tell you which ones had been soaked.

 

[SeattleRedBear]

Rachael Ray is a trained cook - not a trained chef. No formal food education at all. A cook with experience only & lots of experience managing. Also from a family that owned a restaurant. I think she's good at pinching the pennies & managing time -- both restaurant focuses.

Alton Brown studied at the New England Culinary Institute after deciding that 10 yrs of cineomatography & directing wasn't his true passion. I think he's good at knowing the nuances of food. Also scientific aspects of food & reactions.

I tend to believe him if given just these 2 people to pick from.

EXACTLY!! In terms of food science, I'd go with Alton's recommendations everytime over pretty much anyone else on the food network. However, I'm usually not inspired to cook by Alton. Very very informative but he's just a little too contrived for my taste (he tries just a little too hard to be funny). Who's that southern cook (I just forgot her name). There are times when I'm done watching her show and I'm starving and just have to have that fried chicken or those biscuits RIGHT NOW!!!!

 

[MosMom]

Paula Deen is the cook you are thinking of. She makes great food but I really suspect she is drunk for her show sometimes.

 

[Annette_VA]

I love Alton and would go with what he says! (I also love RR too! )

BTW, I hate mushrooms so I don't have to worry about cleaning then since I won't touch them with a ten foot pole.

Ditto! Well, minus the RR part - she's too perky sometimes.

I refuse to eat mushrooms. My mom always puts them in her spaghetti sauce and after dinner, you could always tell which plate was mine, because it had the ring of mushrooms around it from where I'd picked them all out.

 

[zagafi]

Love, love, love me some AB!! Like another poster said, he doesn't often inspire me to duplicate his recipes, but I'm not certain that's his goal anyway. He's entertaining, witty, smart...and just a little bit sexy.

Gotta love a smart guy with a motorcycle...

 

[CourtasanSatine]

Good Eats just cracks me up but I'm leanring stuff, usually a good combo anyday. I would not try to recreate anything from the show but I'm laughing too hard half the time.

Now with RR I'll only watch her pinch pennies($40 a Day)

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

I must be in a silly mood. The fact that there is a 3 page thread on mushrooms is cracking me up.

Mushrooms are the one food that I will not eat. When Rachael makes those portabello burgers, I want to puke. Do they really taste like burgers?

 

[janey99]

Sorry to her fans, but I automatically dismiss EVERYTHING Rachel Ray says - she has no skills, talents or qualifications other than extra teeth. I'm not sure why anyone worships at her altar!

Janey