Whenever I sauté mushrooms, they are watery. How can I prevent this?
by 
Kim Siever
ANSWERS: 6
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It's hard to say for sure. However, it is important to realise that mushrooms easily absorb water. Rather than cleaning them under the running faucet, try using a clean, damp cloth. This would reduce the amount of exposure to water.
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You're probably cooking them on a low heat. This causes them to give up their liquor better than cooking them at high temperature. If you continue cooking them the liqor will be reabsorbed.
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Mushrooms are over 90% water to start with, so washing them or even immersing them in water can't add much more water content to them. The trick is to sauté them at a fairly high heat - any water that will be released will do so quickly and the high heat should seal the outer surface, preventing more release of moisture. If you want them with a nice butter flavour, fry them first in a high heat oil such as peanut oil, then add the butter and any other flavours such as garlic or onions when the cooking is almost done.
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In all recipes I have ever seen, the mushrooms are to be cooked till all the moisture is absorbed or evaporated.
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It takes longer to cook mushrooms than you might imagine. When I saute 'shrooms, I use butter or margarine rather than oil, try to arrange them in a single layer so make sure your pan is large enough. Keep on cooking and stirring for at least fifteen or twenty minutes until the only liquid left in the pan is the oil you started with. The water will eventually evaporate and you will be left with nicely browned mushrooms without all that liquid.
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It doesn't matter if you wash or brush them as they really don't absorb water. That has been found to be a myth. But to get rid of the water, you just need to cook them on medium high long enough to evaporate all the water. Then they will get nice and brown and the flavors will intensify.
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