Tip - Cleaning Mushrooms

I have always washed mushrooms before cooking them for two reasons:
I prefer them clean rather than dirty (wiping them just takes too much
time); and I have always been skeptical about the notion that they
soak up too much water.  Fortunately, the cooks at Cook's Illustrated
magazine shared my skepticism, so they put the matter to a scientific
test.  They weighed mushrooms before and after washing, and found that
the only difference in weight was due to the small amount of water
clinging to the outside of the mushrooms.  In fact, the difference in
weight was identical when they did the same with broccoli, and no one
has ever accused broccoli of absorbing water.  They do point out that
the skin of mushrooms tends to get slimy if the moisture is allowed to
remain for any length of time, and so recommend washing them
immediately prior to cooking.