It’s possible that pre-grating it will cause it lose its oomph. I know that happens with horseradish.
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I just wipe mushrooms with a soft cloth. I don’t mind a little dirt unless I notice it while eating.
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That’s the way you should do it, to keep the mushrooms as dry as possible before sautéing them.
But I have respect for too much dirt as I suffer from OCD, so the extra dirty ones I rinse under cold water even though it’s not optimal.
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Ok… I guess what I do is wrong… but why?
I keep my shrooms in an open plastic bag with a piece of paper towel in there.
Before I use them, I wipe them down by hand under warm water, and then wrap them in a couple of paper towels for 15+ minutes. They’ve always seem to sauté wonderfully (usually with garlic or onion, and sometimes peppers).
So what am I missing by not keeping them dry (which they really aren’t if you keep them in the fridge)?
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I’m just an amateur home cook.
You’re doing it right, if you like the way you do it.
Your way is the correct way, if you don’t get sick from it and you enjoy the ginger taste.
I just personally prefer to peel my ginger.
You might even get a better taste from the ginger by not peeling them.
So I would suggest you continue doing it your way.
It’s just as correct as my way.
Thanks, but my reply to you was about mushrooms.
I keep my mushrooms in a paper, not plastic, bag with a moist paper towel on top. The reason to use a paper bag is that the mushrooms will degrade more quickly in the absence of air flow.
The myth that you shouldn’t rinse mushrooms has been debunked about a zillion times.
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Thanks. Note I keep the plastic (grocery type) bag open, with a dry paper towel inside. My experience has been my shrooms last a long time, without discoloration or sliminess.
Edit: not in the crisper, but the bottom shelf of my fridge. Frankly, IMHO crispers are crap and I’d much prefer just another shelf at the bottom.
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Whatever you need. I’m OCD as well and it’s been a blessing more than hinderance.
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My mother always said to wipe mushrooms and not to rinse them under water.
She also insisted on cooked mushrooms in a salad and never raw.
Although, Jacques Pepin swears by gently cleaning the mushrooms in water.
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Mushrooms are actually soaking up very little water, so washing them is fine
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Also my observation, but if washed they’ll tend to boil instead sauté on the frying pan unless you use very high heat.
I use high heat so the small amount of water evaporates from them pretty fast, but ideally a brushed clean mushroom will sauté faster and not needing to get rid of the moisture from it first.
But we’re talking minor differences here and my washed mushrooms sauté pretty much as fine as when I just rinse them with a brush.
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This is why I start mushrooms in a dry pan (which I think @LindaWhit told me about) and only add oil after much of the water has evaporated out. And I always wash mushrooms, because - as noted upthread - the theory that they soak up water has been disproved multiple times.
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I use a soft cloth because I’m lazy and don’t want to dry them after rinsing. Besides, in my experience most store bought mushrooms aren’t dirty anyway.
When it comes to garden radishes? I’d pull them from the ground dust them off and gobble them down as I walk off. A tiny bit of soil flavor is an enhancement.
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I did exactly that - start the mushrooms in a smoking hot DRY frying pan based on advice from one of my chef friends.
That is unti I warped the Mauviel M’Cook 28 cm frying pan, I gave my father, on his induction stovetop. Then I stopped that procedure 
Now I always add a bit of oil to the pan before adding the mushrooms to the pan. Still works ok, and no warping issues since then.
Oh, whoops! I don’t heat the pan that much - medium high works fine for me. I’ve never warped a pan in my life. And not because I’m so conscientious - just lucky.
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I routinely eat pieces of raw ginger for my stomach. I wash the ginger under the tap and usually don’t have problems with dirt, and I don’t peel the ginger when I’m just eating it raw. When I cook with ginger, I’m usually doing Chinese-style wok frying (more or less - I use less oil and don’t let it smoke because I wouldn’t be able to take that in my apartment, too allergic to smoke), so in that case, I do indeed cut the peel off with my knife and then mince, but I don’t care if a little skin gets into the dish. I never freeze ginger, though; I use it up way too quickly for that and like it fresh. One of the local stores where I buy ginger is Dual, and they sell smaller organic ginger and larger ginger that isn’t organic. I find that the smaller, younger ginger tends to pack more of a punch, so I often favor it.
As for mushrooms, I love them, and the way I deal with them is to put them in a colander and wash them under the tap, then wash handfuls of them a second time separately. After that, if there are any spots that still have dirt on them that doesn’t come off, I cut them off and throw them away, but I do agree that unless there’s sand/grit in the dish, it doesn’t matter if there’s a little dirt in it, because it doesn’t noticeably affect the taste (or maybe makes it earthier and is just part of the taste of mushrooms). The type of mushrooms I use most often is creminis. My local H-Mart does a great job with the ones they select and pack in-house (or at some central location, maybe, but it’s in their own packaging). I find those much tastier than the usual packs you find in supermarkets.
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It depends on the way I need it to use - for example if I make some tea - I don’t peel it, but if I make lemonade - I peel it and grind it intensively with blender in order to get more juice
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Welcome !
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I’ve always peeled it and I’m glad someone asked the question. I probably won’t bother for some things now.
