To not wash my fruit and veg before cooking/eating?

[AmserGwin]

Inspired by the bin thread. How many of you actually wash your fruit and/or veg before eating or cooking it? I never have, do people really do this?

I wash all fruit and veg, but never washed bagged salads/spinach until I read this article recently:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38026695

It's put me off bagged salads, tbh. I usually only buy them for convenience but it looks like making your own might be better all round.

A few months ago I was reprimanded by a friend for not soaking veg before eating it.
Have always rinsed everything but said friend pointed me to PHE's advice about washing.
Article here
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36822962

Always wash everything well here.

mainly because you never know who has peed on it but also because they spray stuff with chemicals (chlorinated water for one).

I wash stuff that is not going to be boiled in water or peeled eg tomatoes,cucumber ,spring onions. This is on the rather flimsy grounds that the conditions for fruit pickers/ packers are usually rather basic and tend not to include good hand washing facilities.

I am aware that a quick rinse under the tap is not going to dislodge any potential picker poo residue, but it makes me feel better.

I have had FP from salad before. I always wash salad/fruit/veg now.

I wash things that don't need peeling, always peel pears as they make my tummy feel a bit funny otherwise. Always wash lettuce. Throw anything away that I've dropped on the floor.

Touch wood I'm all right so far.

The thing about the pesticides and other chemicals is, they're designed to withstand rain, wind etc... a quick shuffle under the cold tap isn't going to achieve much.

I can't see what a rinse under cold water can do unless it is to wash off mud from potatoes etc.

I live in a country where everyone does. I'm not sure if it's because people are more germ-fearful, or because health and safety practices at large corporations here are a lot less strict and everyone knows it!!

The shops sell chlorine which you add to a bit of water to wash your fruit and veg in. Since I got used to doing it I can't break the habit, even when I'm back in the UK. Eating unwashed fruit and veg just seems gross to me now!!

Vinegar is a good substitute. Rubbing it over your apple (or whatever) and then rinsing with tap water will remove most pesticides and bacteria. (google it for more info)

I wash everything - including oranges before peeling, watermelon before cutting. I have low immunity and having cleaner food helps to keep me well. When I eat at restaurants or in other people's homes I am ill 50% of the time though...

Yes because I've had a few fruit picking holiday jobs

• not many people make time to wash their hands while picking

• several places swarming with rats

• bird shit

• skanky people going to the loo in the supermarket and not washing their hands before handling the fruits and veg.

• chemicals

Only if obviously dirty & the dirty part won't be removed by preparation..

DH, who does no cooking / food prep at all, often asks whether I've washed things, tomatoes in particular.

I say Yes as if I say No he ostentatiously goes & washes his own portion which I find fucking irritating

I just give mine a quick rinse with cold water :)

Raw fruit and veg 100% yes.

Sorry, to clarify, yes I wash raw fruit and veg. Without fail.

Always wash it. Think this is all down to preference

God yes! Pesticide residue. Hand contaminants. Ecoli.

Ok had to post..I always wash fruit and veg especially after MIL found a worm in supposedly 'pre washed' pack of iceberg lettuce 😝

I always wash mine if we're at home.

But when I buy an apple whilst going somewhere, for example? Nope.

You should wash fruit and veg, even if organic.

www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2011/06/e-coli-cases-deaths-europe-push-higher

This outbreak was eventually traced to an organic beansprout farm. There have been other outbreaks attributed to organic spinach, salad and lettuce.

Non-organic Lettuce is one of the most sprayed crops we have. You can sometimes see the white residue on the leaves.

I dip mine in the washing up water and rinse. This is mainly because I've seen the other customers in the greengrocers who handle it/sneeze over it
I don't bother with peeling carrots/potatoes though.

A quick rinse under the tap won't get rid of chemicals/pesticides therefore my thinking is there's no point doing it unless you do it properly with vinegar/a proper wash designed for fruit and veg. I can't be arsed to do that every time I want a few tomatoes!

If I'm going to peel it, no, and for some reason I don't wash mushrooms if I'm going to cook them.

Otherwise, yes, especially if it's going to be eaten raw. I wash fruit under the tap (in a colander, if necessary) and leave to dry off on the draining board, then into the fruit bowl. Tomatoes I wash at the point of eating them. Salad leaves, wash in lots of water and drain off in a colander. Peppers, aubergines, courgettes, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower - wash, pat dry with clean tea towel, use. Spinach - wash in lots of cold water, put straight into a big pot to wilt with just the washing water, no extra needed.

I would be very uncomfortable eating unwashed fruit and veg, given what we know about how many people don't bother washing their hands after going to the loo.

If I am not peeling my fruit and vegetables, I always wash them in water - things like leeks and celery I would soak for a few minutes and then rinse off under a running cold tap. I don't want grit in my laboriously made meals!

DH and i always have this 'discussion' as i never bother washing fruit and veg.

Firstly, what an earth is running it under a bit of cold water actually going to to, apart from wash a little bit of visible mud off. Its not going to actually get rid of any bacteria or anything nasty it may have acquired at the hands of some minging person in the supermarket, surely you would need hot soapy water for that?

Secondly, im no expert, but if a vegetable has been sprayed with chemicals throughout its entire growing career then how the fuck is rinsing it in a bit if cold water going to help in any way?