Do you wash cauliflower before you cook it?

[Anonymous]

I soak every produce in vinegar water for at least 10 min, then rinse with running water before drying and putting away. Only exceptions are strawberries and raspberries, which I rinse just before serving, otherwise they go bad quickly and become kind of mushy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I soak every produce in vinegar water for at least 10 min, then rinse with running water before drying and putting away. Only exceptions are strawberries and raspberries, which I rinse just before serving, otherwise they go bad quickly and become kind of mushy.

Why?

[Anonymous]

^^ to clean them.

[Anonymous]

That doesn't get them any cleaner than using water.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That doesn't get them any cleaner than using water.

Here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14540742

[Anonymous]

Pp again - I also have different (color coded) cutting boards for raw chicken, beef/pork, fish and veggies/fruits. OTOH, when I buy rotisserie chicken, I leave it out of the fridge until it is time to prepare dinner - unlike most people here

[Anonymous]

Although I like Cook's Illustrated a lot, this has been repeatedly tested by actual scientists and their conclusions vary between "vinegar is literally no better than water" and "the added benefit might exist but is trivial."

[Anonymous]

(Setting aside that I cook most of my veggies, so the main reason I'm washing is to remove dirt and pesticide residue, not bacteria)

[Anonymous]

Those of you who say you wash all produce, do you or would you also wash organic baby carrots that you buy in a bag?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Although I like Cook's Illustrated a lot, this has been repeatedly tested by actual scientists and their conclusions vary between "vinegar is literally no better than water" and "the added benefit might exist but is trivial."

Yes, I read the whole article and it mentions that. However, I have a bottle of vinegar in my countertop at all times (for cleaning) and really doesn't cost me much (time or money) to add some vinegar in the bowl of water. The psychological benefit to me is more than trivial and even though I am sure my analogy is faulty, I wash the produce with water vinegar for the same reasons I use vinegar instead of water only to clean the countertops, stove top, etc.

[Anonymous]

There's no particular reason to wash even non-organic baby carrots in a bag since they're not really "baby" carrots; they are carrots that have been spun in a lathe and have none of their exterior surface. So even if they were originally curated with dirt and pesticide, they'd be clean by the time they get in the bag.

But I think I do normally rinse them off, just out of habit.

[Anonymous]

Curated=crusted

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's no particular reason to wash even non-organic baby carrots in a bag since they're not really "baby" carrots; they are carrots that have been spun in a lathe and have none of their exterior surface. So even if they were originally curated with dirt and pesticide, they'd be clean by the time they get in the bag.

But I think I do normally rinse them off, just out of habit.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Although I like Cook's Illustrated a lot, this has been repeatedly tested by actual scientists and their conclusions vary between "vinegar is literally no better than water" and "the added benefit might exist but is trivial."

Yes, I read the whole article and it mentions that. However, I have a bottle of vinegar in my countertop at all times (for cleaning) and really doesn't cost me much (time or money) to add some vinegar in the bowl of water. The psychological benefit to me is more than trivial and even though I am sure my analogy is faulty, I wash the produce with water vinegar for the same reasons I use vinegar instead of water only to clean the countertops, stove top, etc.

Sure, I agree there's no particular downside (unless you're planning on blanching and shocking the vegetables, such as for a pasta salad. Then I would not do this because the vegetables will be less brightly colored in the finished salad).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those of you who say you wash all produce, do you or would you also wash organic baby carrots that you buy in a bag?

Yes, of course, although I never buy them because they're overprocessed, deceptively marketed, and not very tasty.