How to wash fruits and vegetables properly
October 15, 2019
Even if the fruits and vegetables you buy seem very clean, you must clean them thoroughly before eating or cooking them. In so doing, you eliminate pesticides and any impurities that may be on the peel. Here are a few simple tips to ensure the fruits and vegetables you eat are safe.
Should you wash your fruits and vegetables?
Although some people may not feel the need to clean fruits and vegetables, more than one reason exists to persuade you to adopt this good habit. Pesticide residues are present on all non-organic foods. Washing your fruits and vegetables well will prevent you from consuming too much of them. Other substances, such as soil and fertilizer, can also be stuck on the surface of your food, or between two lettuce leaves, for instance. Also, it isn’t unusual for there to be some small parasites (worms or insects) on leafy vegetables (Swiss chard, kale or herbs). Finally, fruits and vegetables can sometimes carry viruses or be overgrown with microorganisms (such as mould). This last point should be more than enough to convince you to clean foods thoroughly before eating them.
How to wash fruits and vegetables
First of all, it’s better to wash fruits and vegetables just before eating them. Why? Cleaning them too early accelerates the growth of bacteria and increases their rate of degradation. Moreover, some berries, such as raspberries and blackberries, are very fragile and washing them too quickly could damage them and make them mould before you’ve even had a chance to eat or cook them.
A cold-water rinse is the best way to rid fruits and vegetables of impurities and pesticides. Some more fragile fruits, such as berries and grapes, can be rinsed in cold water, while for their part, some vegetables should be scrubbed with a vegetable brush, including potatoes, beets, carrots, turnips and other firm-skinned fruits or vegetables that require a more thorough cleaning. You can immerse leafy greens and herbs in a bowl of cold water for a few minutes and then wring them out in a salad spinner or blot them with paper towels. As for mushrooms, dab them with a clean, damp cloth, but never use soap or other cleaning agents.
Some companies sell products designed specifically to clean fruits and vegetables, but using tap water works just as well. If you still want to use a cleaner, add vinegar or baking soda to wash water to kill any bacteria on your fruits and vegetables. Keep in mind that it’s best to avoid washing berries with anything other than water otherwise their taste may be altered.
Finally, there’s no need to wash vegetables and cut fruit sold in airtight containers since they were cleaned during the preparation process. This category includes canned or bagged lettuce, baby carrots, ready-to-eat or frozen fruits and vegetables. At Groupe Tomapure, all our fruits and vegetables are prepared with great care to meet the highest standards of food safety. But remember that, other than our freshly cut vegetables, you must still wash your fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating them. Bon appétit!
