Forgot to wash spinach - would you still eat the meal?

[dortisa]

I completely forgot to wash the spinach before putting it in the curry. It was a Gousto meal and said on the packet of spinach to wash before use. Still fine to eat, right? My friend thinks not!

What does your mate think a quick rinse in cold water is going to remove?

I rinse things to get soil off but otherwise don’t bother. Crack on and eat your dinner.

I love food poisoning, on the other hand

It'll be fine

my dh didn't wash spinach until I made him

😂

Unwashed spinach can be gritty. It won’t make you unwell.

Rinsing spinach, salad etc. is to get rid of any grit or creepy crawlies, that’s all.

A rinse in cold water is not going to make any real difference to the microbial load. Any bugs are going to be destroyed by heating anyway.

You just wash it to get grit off. then put washed spinach in pan with no extra water. It needs well draining to get every drop of water out. Delicious.

This!!

Washing it removes slugs and mud.
If it doesn't look sluggy or muddy, you don't need to bother.

My dh works in food microbiology and actually unwashed bagged salad is a real bugger for food poisoning. They can grow biofilms. Prewashed stuff is fine or stuff fresh from garden as prewashed uses mild chlorine wash. You should be absolutely fine using it in curry though!

It's fine

Never washed spinach or salad

I'd eat it. I try to by the already washed stuff because Its such a faff to wash and I don't like the gritty texture but you'll be fine.

I would because we keep kosher and have to check all salad for bugs.

But if I didn't, I probably would eat it!

It’s being cooked… of course it’s fine!

I don't either. Its fine it's cooked the friend was being weird !

Most of those packs are washed before packing. The wash before use is a disclaimer so no one can complain if they find a bug in it etc.

I can only imagine it goes through a wash process in the factory.

Who even washes spinach??? I think the only veg I ever wash unless they look obviously dirty is courgettes - and only because one time I had just chopped and baked them they were completely covered in grit - yuck!

Virtually never wash any veg. Never any harm. Some people are over zealous about their idea of "clean". If they want something else, grab a tub to chill or freeze their portion for a more grateful tummy and leave them to prepare something else for themselves

I personally would not risk it but then I hate food poisoning.

@ThingsinJars ( great book ! ) do you bleach it then ? because a rinse under the tap isn't going to get rid of germs ?

It's been thoroughly cooked. What dangers could possibly still lurk, even if there were any to begin with??

It tends to say on the bag whether it is washed, or not. Wash before use probably means it wasn't.

I rinse salad, and bagged salad leaves after being served a bowl of leaves and small flies in a pub. Lots of small flies.

I don't wash any vegetables and have made it to my mid-60s with no issues.

Absolutely fine to eat! Though I did find a small slug in the last bag I had, and did wash the rest of the bag after that. But don't tell your crazy friend that.