To wash my fruit and veg?

[Marmm]

Do you wash your fruit and veg before eating?
I usually wash the fruit when I buy it as the kids aren't going to be bothering with that.

Do you wash your fruit and veg or just cook it as it comes?

YABU = Don't bother washing them - I don't.
YANBU = yes of course wash them!

@MyDogsSpeakItalian

I always wash fruit and veg. I know someone who worked in a warehouse dealing with fruit and veg, trust me when I say you will want to wash them. 😬

Exactly what I thought. You don’t know who has handled it all……..

Put fruit or veg in washing up bowl, add cold water and a tablespoon of vinegar. The vinegar alters the ph making the surface inhospitable to bacteria. Dry on a clean tea towel, no taste of vinegar on the fruit.

I worked in Spitalfields for years and believe me, everyone would wash their fruit and veg too if they saw what goes on ie. Mice, rats, people spitting, cats sleeping on the boxes and pissing up and in them.
That's without all the pesticides used on them.

I never wash any of it unless it's literally muddy. We are generally a very healthy household compared to other people I know and I do think that it's "a bit of good clean dirt" that helps with that. My kids are teens and haven't had a tummy upset since nursery age.

On a food hygiene course I was told to wash fruit and veg. Especially important if you are going to cut it with skin or rind on. This is because as you slide the blade into the fruit or veg you transfer any invisible dirt or bacteria on the outside straight into it.

Of course I always wash it! Who knows how many people touched them with their germy hands.
I'm surprised to learn that so many people don't wash fruit and vegetables. 🤢

Have never bothered. DH used to wash mushrooms when I was pregnant but nothing else. Except our own stuff straight from the which is covered in soil.

@savehannah

I never wash any of it unless it's literally muddy. We are generally a very healthy household compared to other people I know and I do think that it's "a bit of good clean dirt" that helps with that. My kids are teens and haven't had a tummy upset since nursery age.

Same. When I was a teen, I went on some biology residential thing. The previous night's meal got reprocessed into the next day breakfast, and every person that ate it had food poisoning. I was the only one that didn't. I grew up with home grown food that was never washed. We do need a bit of dirt.

Nope, I can't really be arsed lol.

We do need a bit of dirt.

But we don’t need germs from rats and peoples urine and semen...yes, people are disgusting.

I grew up with home grown food that was never washed. We do need a bit of dirt.

Home grown food is entirely different from unwashed food from a supermarket.

@MyDogsSpeakItalian

We do need a bit of dirt.

But we don’t need germs from rats and peoples urine and semen...yes, people are disgusting.

Funny you mention urine and semen? Do you have a sex life?

Surely washing fruit and vegetables in cold water makes no difference to how “germy” they are? You need hot, soapy water. I do sometimes wash fruit, as I said, but I realise that it’s just hygiene theatre that I perform out of an ingrained sense of ick.

I'd always thought that by the time you've bought your fruit and veg, any pesticide residues will have already leached into the main body of the produce.

Maybe buy organic? Hugely expensive though it is.

@TheLeadbetterLife

Surely washing fruit and vegetables in cold water makes no difference to how “germy” they are? You need hot, soapy water. I do sometimes wash fruit, as I said, but I realise that it’s just hygiene theatre that I perform out of an ingrained sense of ick.

I remember reading somewhere a while back that washing with cold non-soapy water still washes away eg listeria on the outside of fruit.

*Funny you mention urine and semen? Do you have a sex life?

I mean, call me fussy, but I see my partners bodily fluids as very different to random men’s in warehouses. 🤷🏻‍♀️

You must be very cool. 😂

Never wash it and I'm immunocompromised. I wipe dirt off mushrooms and would rinse celery/leeks if gritty but that's it

Homegrown not really but shop/market bought yes and thoroughly.

If I'm going to eat the skin I will wash it.

Wash everything unless it’s something you are going to peel (potatoes, carrots, swede) If you have any doubt then you were never in Asda with me to witness “Cauliflower Woman” 😳

I know I should but I’m honestly just too lazy. I do have a cracking immune system though so maybe eating all that dirt/pesticides/whatever has helped?!

I wish vegetables and any fruit that I give to others. For myself I'm too lazy to wash fruits.

I do think you should though. I don't know the science behind it but apparently you can wash at least some of the pesticides off with cold water.

I imagine ingesting more pesticides will not give you an upset stomach or kill you immediately but it will increase your risk of getting cancer (just saying...for the "I'm still alive" people).

I do wash fruit and veg when I am going to use / eat it, but just under a running tap so often wonder how ‘clean’ it gets.
Soft fruit goes mushy if washed too thoroughly.

Yes I wash everything

I rinse fruit and veg that is going to be eaten raw and unpeeled under cold water.
Anything else will be peeled, cooked or both, and so I don't bother unless it's visibly muddy.

I always wash fruit if I’m eating it with peel on. It’s surprising the amount of dirt that comes off it. Veg that can be peeled is peeled and I hope steaming kills anything else.