When washing ingredients, does it matter if the water is cold or warm?
Inspired by What is the point of washing produce in cold water?
Multiple times I remember reading or getting advice that [ingredient X] needs to be washed in cold water before preparing and that warm water will... not precisely ruin them, but somehow make it worse.
Now, I don't remember precisely which ingredients those were... fish maybe? Or mushrooms? Could be some other vegetables too.
Anyways, this advice always has seemed suspicious to me. The difference in temperature between cold and warm water is maybe 30°C, not really enough to do anything chemically I think, and warm water is so much more pleasant for the hands... And especially for ingredients that you intend to cook right afterwards anyway, what harm can it do?
So - are there any ingredients that actually need to be washed in cold water, otherwise it negatively affects the quality of the end result? Preferably ones that are not super exotic.
Best Answer
Indeed there aren't many situations where the temperature is relevant for the food quality. I can think of only one where this would be the case.
Cold temperatures help tender leaves stay fresh longer. If you were to submerge lettuce leaves or similar greens in warm water and wash them there, you might get a less crisp salad. The difference will be very small though, usually it wouldn't be noticed.
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What happens if you wash something in cold water instead of warm?
Heat can break down dyes in the clothes and cause shrinkage. Thus, by washing clothes in cold water, colors last longer and clothes retain their size and shape. (The same argument can be made for line drying clothes instead of putting them in a really hot drier.Does washing with cold water make a difference?
Washing in cold water can help slow fading of colors and shrinking in fabrics. Cold water can also help your clothes last longer. "Washing in cold water can help slow fading of colors and shrinking in fabrics," says Stephen Hettinger, director of engineering in washer systems at GE Appliances.Does it matter if you wash in cold or hot water?
Most of your clothes can be washed in warm water. It offers good cleaning without significant fading or shrinking. When to Use Cold Water \u2013 For dark or bright colors that bleed or delicate fabrics, use cold water (80\xb0F). Cold water also saves energy, so it is a good choice if you want to be eco-friendly.Is it okay to wash dishes with cold water?
coli and Listeria bacteria, which can cause foodborne disease outbreaks. Hot, soapy water followed by a soak in a dish sanitizer wiped out nearly all microscopic organisms. But cooler water, followed by a rinse and sanitizer, killed off germs just as well, according to the research.Is hot water better than cold when it comes to washing your hands?
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Answer 2
One of the main reasons I always use cold water is the fact that it is cleaner. It does not go through boilers and all other heating machinery, which could alter its taste or smell and then spoil your food. If your house is old enough and the water heating system has had a chance to get rusty and dirty you can actually see that the water looks different (it's not quite as clear as the cold water).
If you were to heat up the cold, clean water in a clean way (which obviously doesn't make sense, just a thought experiment), then I don't think it would make much of a difference. Having said that a friend of mine claimed that if you wash fruits in warm water it can actually open up their pores and make the dirt go inside them rather than be rinsed of, but to be honest it doesn't make a ton of sense to me.
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