Washing fruits and vegetables. Seriously, what's the point?

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ajhuff

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Serious question. Why wash them? I get in case of tomatoes and they all look clean. They are all coated with "food safe wax" so running them under water is pointless since wax is a water repellent. Even if they are covered in salmonella rinsing them only dilutes the nasty. They would still be contaminated. I'm not talking about things like leeks or muddy radishes but things like tomatoes, eggplant, apples, etc.

Is it just mental?

-AJ

PS I don't wash chicken either. CDC agrees with me on that.
 
Serious question. Why wash them? I get in case of tomatoes and they all look clean. They are all coated with "food safe wax" so running them under water is pointless since wax is a water repellent. Even if they are covered in salmonella rinsing them only dilutes the nasty. They would still be contaminated. I'm not talking about things like leeks or muddy radishes but things like tomatoes, eggplant, apples, etc.

Is it just mental?

-AJ

PS I don't wash chicken either. CDC agrees with me on that.

It may be different for restaurant supplies, but most produce in grocery stores has already been rinsed many times since leaving the field...and most Kroger stores rinse them several times/day with an automated system. I think it not a fruitful (heh) activity.

I do it anyway though...don't want mom to smack me if I get caught. :rofl2:
 
Good point. Our grocery plays a recording of thunder and then mists everything. Seems like its about every 15 minutes.

-AJ
 
If you're rinsing fruits and veggies to get rid of bacteria, you want to use a vinegar solution, not just plain water.
 
As someone who has first hand experience with working on a produce farm (we owned strawberry fields) or in a packing house you'll change your mind about not washing your veggies. I spent time around tomato packing houses in the 90's and I can tell you first hand that they are some of the dirtiest places on earth. Our fields teamed with rodents and all the animals that ate them,bug, snakes, etc.

You are also expecting that the sanitary measures that the packing houses are 100%, all the time- again not the case. There's a reason that people get e-coli and salmonella poisoning every year in spite of the measures taken.
 
I rinse fruit and vegetables but i want to know if it is really necessary. I understand what you are saying but that means the e-coli is underneath the wax on the tomato. So in that case rinsing wouldn't do anything. If it's on the outside then you only dilute the e-coli not wash it away.

Is there a logic driven reason for rinsing or is it just a mental feel good thing?

-AJ
 
I think they hose down veg in the stores to add weight to them. I got the stink eye from the produce guy once for shaking the lettuce to get the excess water out. "Produce misting has begun please stand back . . ." in a pig's titty!!
 
I think they hose down veg in the stores to add weight to them. I got the stink eye from the produce guy once for shaking the lettuce to get the excess water out. "Produce misting has begun please stand back . . ." in a pig's titty!!

that too...with some produce (celery and lettuces in particular) this keeps them plump, crisp, and fresh...obviously that plays right into weight.
 
Because I have seen the amount of people that, poke, feel, press etc every piece of produce in the store....and i know most those people dont wash their hands.
 
A little filth is good for you, lol. We bred dogs for a lot of years. It was pretty telling to see how dogs raised in "clean" spaces obviously had a lot more health issues than dogs raised in "dirty" places. I'm less worried about a few germs (not big a$$ colonies or anything, mind you) than I am about pesticides.

I don't think rinsing does much but I do it anyway unless I think the food is going to absorb a ton of water. Then, I just brush it off and use it.
 
The pickers are way out in the fields eating fruit all day. Miles away from a bathroom. Running water. Soap. Toilet paper. Nahmean?
 
this article may be of interest: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14540742

washing and cleaning is all about reduction, not elimination. eliminating all of the bacteria is not really feasible or necessary.

Interesting article.

Our grocery has most of its produce loose in bins, so no telling who's been putting their cooties all over it. Depending on what item it is, I'll use a little dishwashing soap on it--seems to cut through the wax on apples, tomatoes, etc. I might have to give the vinegar solution a try.
 
I'm surprised only 1 person has mentioned chemicals - pesticides, herbicides - and for me this is the #1 priorty with rinsing, depending on what I've bought. Doubly so if you've got a pregnant wife like me or children around. As for hygene, sure water's only go reduce surface bacteria some, not entirely, but that's still an improvement.

Just wondering - for those of you who've been to chef school, what is usually said about this topic there? People's obvious worry is not seeing bugs or dirt in their food, but I think chemical contamination could be worse.
 
I rinse fruit and vegetables but i want to know if it is really necessary. I understand what you are saying but that means the e-coli is underneath the wax on the tomato. So in that case rinsing wouldn't do anything. If it's on the outside then you only dilute the e-coli not wash it away.

Is there a logic driven reason for rinsing or is it just a mental feel good thing?

-AJ
A large part of washing isn't bacterial removal it is pesticide and chemical residue removal, You wash it and 75 -80% more chemical residue is removed than if you don't. at least here, less and less places are using the carnauba wax on the fruits and tomatoes. They really aren't a protective coating they are a marketing ploy. People will always by the shiny perfect apple or tomato over the lumpy, dull, scarred one.
 
Hi There,

After reading this article, "
http://www.michaelandjudystouffer.com/judy/articles/vinegar.htm",
several years ago, I always user hydrogen peroxide and vinegar to wash my fruit and veggies with!!

It is an interesting read!!

Cheers!!!!......
:yammer:
 
My friend's mom used to soak her fruits and veggies in salt water for a few minutes then wash. It was a fascinating experience eating mildly salty fruit. I just rinse with water though. I don't really care about the buggies, more the chemicals.

And FYI, those freaking sprinklers in grocery stores...they scream LEGIONELLA!!!!! RUNNNNNNN :running:
 
Count me in the crowd that think a little dirt/germ is good for you. I can't imagine disinfecting food before I eat it. I'm not at all afraid of the pesticides that are put on food, nor do I think there is a particularly good reason for anyone to be.

However, the places I get my produce don't have the sprays, so I usually give them a rinse just to get dust and grit off before I eat. Dirt has a really unpleasant texture.
 
Serious question. Why wash them? I get in case of tomatoes and they all look clean. They are all coated with "food safe wax" so running them under water is pointless since wax is a water repellent. Even if they are covered in salmonella rinsing them only dilutes the nasty. They would still be contaminated. I'm not talking about things like leeks or muddy radishes but things like tomatoes, eggplant, apples, etc.

Is it just mental?

-AJ

PS I don't wash chicken either. CDC agrees with me on that.

Be careful about washing any things.Thanks
 
While I agree about a little bacteria being essential,i always wash my fruit and veg.The USFDA has a great twitter site that may change your opinions.If you cook professionaly you have an obligation to minimise risk as much as possible.
 
The pickers are way out in the fields eating fruit all day. Miles away from a bathroom. Running water. Soap. Toilet paper. Nahmean?

LOL Something I have never thought about... and never wanted to even consider.

I usually just rinse my veggies, but I always scrub my fruit with vinegar. Forgetting the people who are raising the fruits, you have to remember the thousands of people who are handling them before you.
 
Fruits and vegetables are best food and good for health but we should wash them before eating. It will be good for our health. I always wash vegetables and fruits and i suggest everyone to do this.
 
At first I thought the question was meant to be tongue in cheek, but looks like I was wrong.
I wash everything before using it. Maybe more than needed but nobody get's diarrhea when they eat at our house.
When we eat out there is a 1 in 3 chance at least one of us will get sick.

My thinking is that if a place is not sanitary there is no way I am going to eat anything there.

Someone mentioned workers eating fruit/veggies in the field.
I don't even want to think about the parasites they have living inside of them.

This is a short blurp I copied from the CDC about sources of parasites in humans.

Raw vegetables that have been contaminated by human or animal feces;

Some foods are contamined by food service workers who practice poor hygiene or who work in unsanitary facilities.

Symptoms of foodborne parasitic infections vary greatly depending on the type of parasite. Protozoa such as Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia intestinalis, and Cyclospora cayetanensis most commonly cause diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Helminthic infections can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, muscle pain, cough, skin lesions, malnutrition, weight loss, neurological and many other symptoms depending on the particular organism and burden of infection. Treatment is available for most of the foodborne parasitic organisms.

Here is a photo of what you ate when you didn't wash your veggies.
5893ffa0.gif
 
Also you can have the same symptoms with some one using to much bleach to sanitize. Many times people use to much which is easy to get crossed with food, when prepping. In some places using bleach is against the law to use for sanitation in a restaurant.

Not to take anything away from washing veggies either.
 
So if soaking them in salt water briefly makes these items taste salty, what does that say about their ability to absorb things, oh, say like chemicals? Sound like runing them under the tap will get that stuff out of the skin? :biggrin:
My friend's mom used to soak her fruits and veggies in salt water for a few minutes then wash. It was a fascinating experience eating mildly salty fruit. I just rinse with water though. I don't really care about the buggies, more the chemicals.

And FYI, those freaking sprinklers in grocery stores...they scream LEGIONELLA!!!!! RUNNNNNNN :running:
 
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