What is the point of washing produce in cold water?
You can find tons of tips online saying you should always wash your produce. What is the point of it though? I mean with some hard produce, say carrots you can obviously give them a good scrub with a brush and I can see how thoroughly it cleans them. What about soft produce though?
I've just read a question regarding raspberries. The answer was to wash them gently in cold water. I can't imagine that this is actually cleaning them properly. Obviously if they're very dirty, then it'd remove the biggest dirt. Let's say though that there are some bacteria on it or parasite larvea. Obviously gentle dip in cold water won't help, will it?
Best Answer
For the most part, rinsing produce in cold water is for the purpose of removing pesticides and soil that may contain bacteria. You're not washing off bacterial colonies - whole peel-on vegetables and fruit have a protective coating (the peel) which prevents them from growing for the most part. However, dirt particles may contain bacteria - particularly if, for example, there was animal manure used to fertilize the crops (one reason why you need to wash organic produce just as much as conventional produce!)
See for example the NHS England guidelines for washing produce:
Washing will help remove bacteria, including E.coli, from the surface of fruit and vegetables.
Most of the bacteria will be in the soil attached to the produce. Washing to remove any soil is, therefore, particularly important.
Of course, produce that has more dirt in it (such as lettuce, which grows in dirt) will need more careful cleaning than tree fruit (which probably doesn't have too much on it beyond pesticides).
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Quick Answer about "What is the point of washing produce in cold water?"
For the most part, rinsing produce in cold water is for the purpose of removing pesticides and soil that may contain bacteria. You're not washing off bacterial colonies - whole peel-on vegetables and fruit have a protective coating (the peel) which prevents them from growing for the most part.Why should you wash vegetables in cold water?
Most fruits and vegetables can be sufficiently cleaned with cool water and light friction right before eating them. Produce that has more layers and surface area can be more thoroughly washed by swishing it in a bowl of cool water to remove dirt particles.Should you wash produce with hot or cold water?
Do not wash produce with soaps or detergents. Use clean potable cold water to wash items. For produce with thick skin, use a vegetable brush to help wash away hard-to-remove microbes. Produce with a lot of nooks and crannies like cauliflower, broccoli or lettuce should be soaked for 1 to 2 minutes in cold clean water.Does washing vegetables with water do anything?
The Answer: Rinsing fruit and vegetables under water helps rid the food items of soil, microorganisms and potential human pathogens such as E. coli, listeria and salmonella, according to Sanja Ilic, an assistant professor and food safety specialist at Ohio State University.Why should you wash vegetables in hot water?
Julie Albrecht, PhD, RD: \u201cWhen handling produce, use cold or luke warm water while washing. If the veggie is cold and you use hot water, there is a temperature differential that is set up and water may move into the produce carrying microorganisms with it.Is Hot Water Better for Washing than Cold Water?
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Answer 2
It's worth noting that from a food safety perspective, washing is not about eliminating all harmful bacteria and viruses, but reducing their amount to the extent possible (in addition to removal of pesticides, debris such as dirt, etc). Many pathogens cling to things like dirt better than fruit or vegetable skin, so even in the example of raspberries, rinsing can easily knock some dirt off.
To use handwashing as a proxy for washing vegetables, washing hands with water alone still results in a dramatic decrease in bacteria on your hands. In fact, much or most of the power of handwashing can be had with just running water and rubbing your hands together. Of course, if you have soap it should obviously be used.
Dosage is also important. In order to get sick from a pathogen, you have to come in contact with enough of it, often in the order of thousands or tens of thousands of it whether that be individual bacteria or viruses. So reduction is prevention, even if it's not perfect prevention.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Lum3n, Hilary Halliwell, Maksim Romashkin, SAURABH WASAIKAR