Washing vegetables

[OpportunityKnocks]

How thoroughly you wash your vegetables before cooking/eating them?

I give them all a quick rinse under the tap so they all get wet, but I wouldn't say that I worry too much. For instance, mushrooms probably still have bits of dirt on them

AIBU to not pay too much attention to washing them?

I don't, unless they have visible mud.

I wash nearly all vegetables and fruit, to remove pesticides, actual mud and grit, bugs and also soil and contact transferred bacteria. Even fruit from my garden needs washing, not because of pesticides but because natural manure carries fecal bacteria no matter how organic it is.

My MIL is absolutely obsessed with washing veg, it drives me crazy! I do a basic rinse under the tap which horrifies her, she cleans absolutely everything before even peeling (including onion) and she even peels flipping mushrooms to ensure they are sufficiently clean - as a result my OH insists on this process at home!

I just show them a running tap for a few seconds especially the ones I buy loose.

I don't wash/rinse anything including produce which I happily eat straight from the garden

@InRainbows onions! And peeling mushrooms!

Worst cases of widespread food poisoning have come from vegetables.
I always wash to remove any traces of soil. But I'm also worried probably paranoid about pesticides so I wash for that reason too

www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/how-to-wash-fruit-and-vegetables/

I rinse root veg if I'm not peeling it as I find bits of grit in it otherwise. I am not remotely concerned about pesticides.

I don't. A sprinkle of water isn't going to shift listeria and I don't like soggy vegetables.

@opportunityknocks thank you for providing me with reassurance that this is definitely not normal behaviour!

I don't, never have. I'm 53 and not dead yet.

I assume cooking them in boiling water removes far more' whatever ' then rinsing under a tap

I dont wash or peel .
Am I gonna die ? !

I think it's a case of it's unlikely to make you ill, but if it is contaminated it will make you very ill. so why risk it?

Also- this BBC News - Rules around human waste in farming are 'out of date'
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51355965

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manure_spreader

Yes - rinse to remove pesticides or beasties.

Am I gonna die?!

Yep - eventually but not necessarily from unwashed fruit or veg

I 'rub down' mushrooms with a dry tea towel as they absorb the water if you rinse. All my shop bought spinach says to rinse but I never bother. Most other veg is frozen and has all the same pesticides anyway but there's no recommendations on the packet it's really confusing!

Yes - rinse to remove pesticides or beasties

What do you think running water is going to do to pesticides?

Only if they have actual dirt on them.

I might rinse visible mud-dust off grapes, or actual mud off potatoes if I'm cooking unpeeled.

But that's the extent.

I rinse spinach and kale as that can be gritty - occasionally wash green beans or courgettes if they're dirty but nothing else. My mum rinses everything and is appalled by my disregard for her ways.

Rinsing vegetables actually does remove some pesticides. Soaking them is even better. It surprises me how many people here don't wash their veg.

I never wash anything..... and I work in food safety.

Fresh produce is washed in sanitising solution in pack houses to get rid of physical contamination and pathogenic microorganisms. Viral outbreaks are usually down to hand hygiene of the pickers especially in berries. Soil borne paths can be found in some veg but it’s cooked which will kill them (don’t eat raw kale).

Do people really think a quick swish under a tap is going to get ride of pathogens / pesticides?

Never wash veg. Or fruit. Sometimes I wash lettuce but only because it tastes manky otherwise. Never been ill from food, and rarely get ill ill so ... meh 🤷🏻‍♀️