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

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I use a large bowl or one side of the sink and put the fruit/veggies in cold water to soak.
When I am ready to use them I use a scrub brush or green pad and scrub each piece and rinse.

We also buy organic when available to avoid pesticides and chemicals.
 
Burl Source said:
I use a large bowl or one side of the sink and put the fruit/veggies in cold water to soak.
When I am ready to use them I use a scrub brush or green pad and scrub each piece and rinse.

We also buy organic when available to avoid pesticides and chemicals.
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If I recall correctly, organic foods from larger sources are typically not free of pesticides or fungicides and often have especially noxious ones. Smaller farms, both conventional and organic, are more likely to be low in or free of pesticides.
 
If you have any doubts about washing fruit and vegetables regardless of where they come from,just google melon poisoning US and you will find posts relating to 33 deaths in 2011 from Listeria poisoning due to Rockmelons that were not washed before being eaten.There was also a similar outbreak last year although thankfully not as severe in terms of fatalities.
 
ajhuff said:
They are all coated with "food safe wax" s
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i think this is probably the disconnect. you are assuming the product you are getting has been treated and cared for properly before getting to you and done so downt o the letter of the law. I can tell you first hand that is most certainly NOT the case. And i certainly would never go on faith that it was the case when serving customers or my family and friends.

also as mentioned here, their are other ways to clean and wash produce besides running it under some water
 
I only wash fruit and veggies if they're dirty, otherwise it's chow time. I'm a full blown believer that you need to ingest tiny amounts of nasties throughout your life to build up your immune system.
 
With washing, you still ingest small quantities of stuff. The amount of bacteria necessary to reliably cause food poisoning is still undetectable to the human eye, and there are many things which are only harmful (i.e. not immunity-building) and cumulative. If I'm discarding parts or cooking, I wash less thoroughly, but I still wash. I also wash my hands, though there are plenty of people who regard that as paranoid too
 
I agree with Mari about fruits and believe even more is true: many kinds of melons in particular absolutely *must* be cleaned vigorously with something like vinegar or soap and water. This is because the skin is sort of "fractal" with an immense amount of surface area that isn't obvious. So, simply cutting through the skin even with a sharp knife is enough to bring sufficient bad bacteria inside to make you really really sick if the melon was contaminated. See numerous articles that a quick google search will find.

Cantaloupes in particular are really potentially bad news if not cleaned vigorously
 
gic said:
... Cantaloupes in particular are really potentially bad news if not cleaned vigorously
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Holy cow, I must be dead!!!! I've been eating cantaloupe for over 50 years and it has never occurred to me that you should wash them. I really wish I hadn't have read this post. Now the next time I cut up a cantaloupe I'm going to end up sick as a dog, NOT.

Now granted I'm just making fun here. I do see your point that the skin of cantaloupes can be a prime storage area for bacteria and what not. Maybe I need to rethink my routine for handling fruit and veggies, after all when I'm cooking I wash my hands about every two minutes. Can't have your hands too clean.
 
Hi
There are two reasons for washing the vegs:
1. Get of the dirt and bacteria
Thats possible with just water, given enought time and sweat. The pH of normal vinegar (lets say its 2-3), is much to weak to kill any bacteria. Its very good again calciumstain, though
2. Getting rid of the chems:
Impossible with water. Apart from the wax coating, almost every pesticide is highly lipophilic, almost impossible to wash it of with water. Also totally usesless is vinegar, since it is hydrophilic. Your best bet ist to rub the dry fruit with a clean towel..

Greets
B
 
i wasn't joking in the slightest, I started vigorously cleaning melons years after a few people died where i was living from salmonella

The most recent serious cantaloupe salmonella outbreak i think was in summer 2012, killed 2 people and apparently listeria infections happen all the time from melons because of transfer from the skin to the fruit when cutting.
 
I am completely for living a little closer to bacteria and whatnot - it's good for you to be exposed to it. That being said I vinegar wash my stuff because pesticides aren't something your body builds immune resistance to.
 
Vinegar does not clean off pesticide residue from food. A surfactant is required to break the surface tension of non-polar compounds by a polar solution. oil and water don't mix. Vinegar just changes the pH but it's still a polar solution. That's why it kills pathogens.

To remove the pesticide warm/hot water with some sort of mild detergent and rinse well. This works for skinned fruits/veg. But lousy for leafy things. Those I choose to soak in salted cold water. Really all you can do anything for fresh herbs is rinse them.

I always salad spin my fruit/veg after they get washed. I do not use a vinegar solution to clean my foods. I do wash my chicken and all meat for that matter. My logic is in trying to reduce the bio load on the food rather than sanitize it by washing.
 
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