06/03/2026
Here is a long form video on how to clean and cook morel mushrooms. Specifically these are western blondes or . Of all the different types of mushrooms I post about, morels are by far the most contentious when it comes to how to clean and cook them. People tend to have very strong opinions that are not necessarily based in fact, instead projecting their own assumptions at others often in a rude or condescending manner. Here is how I like to clean and cook morels, you’re welcome to do it however you like.
Morels in particular have deep pitted caps that tend to collect grit and dirt, which can lead to an unpleasant eating experience unless you wash this off. Due to their highly textured nature, I find that multiple rounds of soaking with agitation is the best way to clean morels. Many people argue that you shouldn’t get Mushrooms wet before cooking, however, they are wrong. Mushrooms get rained on in nature all the time, water does not impact their quality. If you want them dryer before cooking, you can use a salad spinner to remove excess moisture. To cook them, I put them into a pan without any fat, add some salt and allow the moisture to render out of the morels. Once the water has cooked off, I will add some neutral oil turn the heat down and fry for longer to develop some browning, at the very end I add butter and more salt to make sure they get really crispy and delicious.
I am not sure why there’s so much disagreement around how to clean and cook morels. Personally I don’t like eating dirt or grit in my Mushrooms, so cleaning leads to a better eating experience. Regardless of how you clean them, the important part is to make sure your morels are cooked extremely thoroughly because raw morels are toxic and can even be deadly. To learn more about the hazards of morels check out special episodes from The Poison Lab podcast with Dr. Ryan Feldman
