Does anyone REALLY wash veggies with soap? Or is it just my compulsive husband?

I just rinse veggies in water. Not sure I want my cucumbers to taste like soap.

just rinse mine as well. You could suggest that a simple solution of distilled vinegar and water will help take off any pesticides and avoid the possibility of soap residue.

What he is doing is not good. Soap residue could cause a case of dysentery or the runs and cause havoc to the stomach.. In fact in food service facilities the health dept. tells us not to use soap as such to clean slicers and other machinery as the use of them leaves a residue.. Soaps today contain all kinds of chemicals,cleaners and surficants, He may be rinsing off pesticides, which by the way are sometime oil based so will not rinse off with water and a non degreaser.  In turn he is  adding worse chemicals to the fruit and vege exterior then he is removing.

My suggestion is take a spray bottle and put a little hydrogen peroxide in it and fill with water . Spray with that its a lot safer then what he is doing.. Don't for your sake believe me? Ask a food chemist. And let your husband read this.

I just rinse.  It bothers me to no end when the cooking shows warn against rinsing mushrooms and just to use a dry soft brush.  Give me a break!  10 seconds of exposure to water isn't going to waterlog them and frankly, bulk mushrooms very often are quite "dirty".  Since commercial mushrooms are grown in sanitized cow manure, while the microbes are supposed to be dead, it's still cow manure.  I don't go overboard on cleaning mushrooms, but they at least get a good hosing off.

I have used soap and sponge before.  Rinsing doesn't feel like enough.  Sometimes I use hot water if it's a hard fruit/veggie.  When I wash spinach or lettuce leaves I soak them in water and a little vinegar and then rinse them 3 times.  I'm trying not to use soap but with stuff like green peppers it's not a big deal.  Other more porous veggies like zucchini I shouldn't be doing it. 

I've started using a fruit and vegetable wash made by Earth Friendly Products. http://images.naturalcollection.com/images/18583%20-%20FruitVegetableWash.jpg  it makes me feel better to clean it with something.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gobblygook 

I just rinse.  It bothers me to no end when the cooking shows warn against rinsing mushrooms and just to use a dry soft brush.  Give me a break!  10 seconds of exposure to water isn't going to waterlog them and frankly, bulk mushrooms very often are quite "dirty".  Since commercial mushrooms are grown in sanitized cow manure, while the microbes are supposed to be dead, it's still cow manure.  I don't go overboard on cleaning mushrooms, but they at least get a good hosing off.

Agreed, for the most part, but when I spend $20+/lb on wild mushrooms, I'm probably not going to touch them with even a drop of water.

Another option just came to mind: wash, pat off with toweling, and store in a paper bag. Any moisture will evaporate.

Here we just rinse. The very idea of using soap on food is a turn-off.

Gobblygook, did you see the Alton Brown episode where he tested the conventional wisdom of mushrooms absorbing water? Apparently it's one of those things we just keep passing down to each other, but nobody ever tested it before.

Carefully weighing the mushrooms and water, both beforehand and afterwards, it turns out that there is such an insignificant amount of absorbsion as to not count at all. And that was from actually soaking them in a container of water for a period of time. He repeated this experiment several times, with different kinds of mushrooms.

The conclusion: Giving them a quick rinse under running water will only have one effect: cleaner mushrooms. They will not, repeat not, absorb any of the water.

I rinse in purified water.  Reverse osmosis.  No chlorine, no chemicals, no bacteria, nothing.  Especially the leafy veg.  I would never imagine using soap, but as mentioned above, a lightly acidic water rinse would not hurt, and help remove any wax off the apples and citrus etc.

I'm frankly amazed that anyone could even think of washing vegetables using soap!

When rising the mushrooms which I agree with make sure you dry very well. As if left wet, when put into a pan to saute, they will steam instead.

If doing a lot of them put on a kitchen towel and hit with a hair drier. And for those thinking of using the fruit and vegetable  sprays sold in markets, in many brands it is Hydrogen Peroxide under different names.

Using soap to wash off pesticides or whatever on food is like trying to change pest into cholera. I never met anyone who uses soap for washing food. Just use plain water.

One of the cooking magazines, I think it was CI, did the same thing with the same results.  I always wash the dirt off mushrooms.  I just avoid soaking them.
 

Yes, but I couldn't remember the exact results (insignificant amount, but not the measurements). 
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer 

Here we just rinse. The very idea of using soap on food is a turn-off.

 

Gobblygook, did you see the Alton Brown episode where he tested the conventional wisdom of mushrooms absorbing water? Apparently it's one of those things we just keep passing down to each other, but nobody ever tested it before.

 

Carefully weighing the mushrooms and water, both beforehand and afterwards, it turns out that there is such an insignificant amount of absorbsion as to not count at all. And that was from actually soaking them in a container of water for a period of time. He repeated this experiment several times, with different kinds of mushrooms.

 

The conclusion: Giving them a quick rinse under running water will only have one effect: cleaner mushrooms. They will not, repeat not, absorb any of the water.

We always soak fresh-picked morels in salt water for a few hours and sometimes overnight.  They get a water rinse just before they're rolled in flour and fried (or put up in the freezer).  Because they're so corrugated, I assume this is as much for cleanliness as anything else.

I honestly think that we (as in society in general) have become FAR too obsessed with surgical, sanitised cleanliness.

I may be controversial here but unless there are clods of earth hanging off my veg, I don't wash them at all.

SIZZLIN.    I GAMBLE AT POKER AND CRAP TABLES, NOT DINNER TABLES.

Along this vein, I heard an interesting theory a while back. Some guy hypothesized that society is actually making itself more susceptible to disease by using so much hand sanitizer and other types of sanitizers. He argued that the presence of small amounts of bacteria is actually healthy and keeps the body stronger. And with more sanitizing, our bodies become weaker and therefore get sicker easier.

It may be a total crock, but it's definitely an interesting theory.

Sizzlin and Tyler -

I'm with you there.  Having had kids and watching the profusion of anti-bacterial products increase ridiculously over 20 years, all to kill germs which wiould normally increase a bodies immune system, we are instead  getting rid of them.  Sure, washing hands after the toilet and before dinner must be done. Babies bottles need sterilising.  But kids are getting wrapped in cotton wool, "Don't play in that mud little John/Jenny, you'll get sick!"  Ugh have had enough of it. (Ok well in tropical areas you can get sick from the soil).  If you don't want dirt on your veg., just give it a good scrubbing with a nail brush and clean water.  That should suffice.  Give highly gilled mushrooms a good swirl in a container of water, drain then pat dry.  Cook over a hot heat to get rid of any excess moisture.

I have a beef with ppl who want to sterilise everything.  Hey clean is good, but obsessions with it and *also the introduction of all manner of cleaning products can't be advantageous.  Look at the rise in asthma sufferers for one example.  I am no scientist, so no idea if this has anything to do with it, am just saying that since many people got manic about sterilise, clean clean clean clean endlessly, people have gotten more of these types of conditions.

Let your kids get grubby, don't mind if there's some dirt/dust in the house.  Cleaning constantly  probably stirs up more dust than would usually be in the air.  Ok, air pollution from traffic and industry  is a major cause, but that's another issue.

So, off my soapbox (for now :)  )

Talk about over sanitizing. There used to be a product used in all surgical rooms called Physohex(a green bottle) which killed All bacteria. As stated by someone above the stuff killed the harmful as well as non harmful bacteria on our bodies. It was at one time used to wash babies after birth. Many of them got an infection soon after birth. It was traced back to the fact that Physohex killed the good bacteria that we need on our bodies to fight off others. Result is today Physohex is only available by prescription at about $50.00 a bottle and up. It used to be over counter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chefedb 

What he is doing is not good. Soap residue could cause a case of dysentery or the runs and cause havoc to the stomach..

Dysentery is caused by an amoeba as far as i know, in any case some germ, that is, living organism, because it responds to antibiotics.  Soap contains no germ.  Soap might give you diarrhea but not dysentery. 

I think the problem is trying to eliminate chemicals with another chemical.  First of all, soap can kill germs but does it remove chemicals? 

And soap can kill germs if it's rubbed on stuff, but does it remove germs generically like that with rinsing?  and do we need to remove all those germs?

but the chemicals, i don;t know, but i've read about baking soda removing them, but i imagine most stuff food is sprayed with is sprayed while it's young and it must have been absorbed by the cells by the time we eat it.  or not?

tell your husband that veggies are not like clothes, veggies ar e for eating, clothes are for wearing. they are different, veggies don't need soap to wash

Well, all in all, Cook-E, you have a very caring man. Keep him! The soap won't really hurt anyone.

Vitamin B12 is produced by bacteria in soil and not by fruits and vegetables. If you wash your produce too obsessively, you strip it of this essential trace vitamin.

If your husband is concerned about pesticides, he should be eating organic. Washing does not effectively remove pesticides, which may be absorbed in the tissues of the plant itself.

Most produce is already washed repeatedly by the time it reaches your shopping basket. There's really little need to rewash it yet again before cooking. You might as well wash it after cooking, too, as you put it on your plate. And then wash each bite again before placing it in your mouth :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by tylerm713 

Along this vein, I heard an interesting theory a while back. Some guy hypothesized that society is actually making itself more susceptible to disease by using so much hand sanitizer and other types of sanitizers. He argued that the presence of small amounts of bacteria is actually healthy and keeps the body stronger. And with more sanitizing, our bodies become weaker and therefore get sicker easier.

 

It may be a total crock, but it's definitely an interesting theory.

It's not a crock at all. Antibacterial agents may kill 99.97% of the bacteria, but guess what? The .03% that's left over is immune, and will multiply unchallenged. Next thing you know you've got an entire generation of resistant germs running wild in a monoculture on your countertop. Over time bacteria develop robust resistance and the antibacterial agents we use become useless. Keep in mind that antibacterial chemicals are themselves toxic (that's why they work) and you may think twice about slathering them all over your babies.Your immune system needs to be exposed to a healthy level of real world pathogens in order to tune itself and build the antibodies it will later need to fight off infections and illnesses. Your immune response is a learning system and it needs input. This doesn't mean you should go around licking doorknobs, but living in a sanitized bubble is not healthy. 

I appreciate that people feel a need for control but routine hand washing, basic hygeine, and general surface and utensil cleanliness is all you need. The only recent development in this picture is Proctor & Gamble's need to sell you more products by scaring you into believing you need them. Nothing they can put in a bottle will be anywhere near as powerful as your own natural immune system. Keep yourself healthy and leave those bottles of harsh chemical cleansers on the supermarket shelf!

While I'm not the biochemist so many contributors to CT seem to be, it's a good rule of thumb not to put anything on your food you don't want to eat.

If your husband wants to use soap, set it on the table as a condiment reserved for him and anyone else who savors its flavor.    Otherwise... no.

BDL

Quote:

Originally Posted by gobblygook 

Yes, but I couldn't remember the exact results (insignificant amount, but not the measurements). 
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer 

Here we just rinse. The very idea of using soap on food is a turn-off.

 

Gobblygook, did you see the Alton Brown episode where he tested the conventional wisdom of mushrooms absorbing water? Apparently it's one of those things we just keep passing down to each other, but nobody ever tested it before.

 

Carefully weighing the mushrooms and water, both beforehand and afterwards, it turns out that there is such an insignificant amount of absorbsion as to not count at all. And that was from actually soaking them in a container of water for a period of time. He repeated this experiment several times, with different kinds of mushrooms.

 

The conclusion: Giving them a quick rinse under running water will only have one effect: cleaner mushrooms. They will not, repeat not, absorb any of the water.

 

OK, you two, and perhaps a glass of wine (or two), got me curious enough to run my own Alton Brown test - I like the guy, I just don't always agree with him.

10 oz dry-brushed button mushrooms

rinsed in cold water, then soaked for two minutes (In hind-sight I should have weighed them right after rinsing and draining as well for more complete information)

drained, but not hand-dried:

gain of 1.1 oz = 11% weight gain of water

thoroughly hand-dried:

gain of .45 oz = 4.5% gain of water absorption

That's a substantial enough of a difference for myself to stick to dry-brushing my mushrooms.  The water absorption would likely be at least halved again if rinsed and then hand-dried quickly, but, to my mind, that's not all that comes into play in the decision.  Mushrooms require little-to-no external chemical environmental control agents to thrive.  There is always the question of commercially grown foods, however.  I can't say with any real authority (without doing some truly sober research) how much of any pesticide agent is used on the typical big-agro business mushroom crop, but, I'd venture to guess that a good dry-brush will remove as much, maybe even more, pesticides than a rinse without a hand-dry.  On the note of mushrooms being grown in cow manure: well, yes and no.  Commercial mushrooms are grown in composted soil which contains manure (not always from cows) as an ingredient.  Much of the best produce is grown using manure.  I don't have a problem with it. 

I rarely hear of a mushroom recall.  I remember one from a couple of years ago dealing with a farm in PA over concerns of listeria, but I don't remember hearing of any sicknesses associated with it.  Mushrooms do not make my list of problematic produce, I like the earthy flavors they have and, particularly for my specialty mushrooms, I want to preserve as much of that flavor as I can.  If it makes one feel much more comfortable to rinse ones mushrooms, then I say: do as you must, just don't soak them, and dry them off quickly after rinsing.  I might be willing to look the other way if someone in my kitchen was rinsing buttons or criminis, but if I saw someone heading toward a sink with chanterelles, lobsters, or (Lord help them) truffles, I would have something to say.

As an after thought: Mushrooms like morells have substantially more surface area per volume than the buttons I tested, so they would hold more water weight than the buttons.  In addition, they would be virtually impossible to hand-dry well, in a timely fashion, and without destroying their integrity.  Perhaps lining a salad spinner with paper towels and drying that way would work best for certain varieties, if one were so inclined. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by iplaywithfire 

 

10 oz dry-brushed button mushrooms

 

rinsed in cold water, then soaked for two minutes (In hind-sight I should have weighed them right after rinsing and draining as well for more complete information)

 

drained, but not hand-dried:

gain of 1.1 oz = 11% weight gain of water

 

thoroughly hand-dried:

gain of .45 oz = 4.5% gain of water absorption

 

That's a substantial enough of a difference for myself to stick to dry-brushing my mushrooms.  The water absorption would likely be at least halved again if rinsed and then hand-dried quickly, but, to my mind, that's not all that comes into play in the decision.  Mushrooms require little-to-no external chemical environmental control agents to thrive.  There is always the question of commercially grown foods, however.  I can't say with any real authority (without doing some truly sober research) how much of any pesticide agent is used on the typical big-agro business mushroom crop, but, I'd venture to guess that a good dry-brush will remove as much, maybe even more, pesticides than a rinse without a hand-dry.  On the note of mushrooms being grown in cow manure: well, yes and no.  Commercial mushrooms are grown in composted soil which contains manure (not always from cows) as an ingredient.  Much of the best produce is grown using manure.  I don't have a problem with it. 

 

Why on earth would you rinse the mushrooms and THEN soak them?  Why would you soak them at all?  Obviously soaking is going to make them absorb something.  But if you wash them quickly one by one under running water, rubbing where there is dirt attached, holding them with the gills down if the gills are open (or whatever they;re called) you won't get any water.   (And it's a lot less time than brushing them dry! that's my main objection).

You don't need a salad spinner to spin them dry, you can shake one by one.  But then i never have the wild kind, just the usual varieties of cultivated ones. Never saw a morel for sale where i shop. 

From the Cook's Illustrated website...

"When we learned that mushrooms were over 80 percent water, we began to question their ability to absorb yet more liquid. We decided to replicate an experiment found in food scientist Harold McGee’s The Curious Cook, wherein he weighed mushrooms before and after soaking them in water for five minutes. Like McGee, we found that six ounces of mushrooms gained only one and one half teaspoons of water—and most of this water, we found, was on the surface."

So it seems that washing AND drying are OK, but since mushrooms are mostly water, maybe this is all a moot point?