Buzz
I don’t mean to single out Kellie, but her video is practically a how-not-to guide for washing your produce. It's a perfect example of the poor advice influencers often spread. Washing your produce prematurely, tossing delicate berries into a salad spinner, and randomly sprinkling baking soda everywhere: these are just a few of the things Kellie does that should definitely be avoided.
Avoid Washing Your Produce Until You're Ready to Use It
The moment you introduce water to your fruits and vegetables, you’re encouraging mold growth. Washing them as soon as you bring them home can drastically reduce their shelf life by providing the moisture that mold and bacteria thrive on. Fortunately, the simplest method is also the best: Don’t wash or prep your produce right away. Just wait.
If you're doubtful, trust Dr. Don Schaffner, an extension specialist in food science and a distinguished professor at Rutgers University. As Dr. Schaffner previously mentioned, it's important to hold off on washing your produce until you're ready to cook or eat it, then simply rinse it under cold running water.
If the produce has a tough exterior, feel free to use a brush. Schaffner emphasized that this rinsing should be done right before consumption. If you place freshly rinsed produce in the fridge, it’s more likely to become moldy, he added.
You may have heard that strawberries are an exception to this rule, but they aren't. Strawberries are especially spongy, which makes them even more vulnerable to mold growth if they come in contact with water, so keep them dry and cold until you’re ready to make shortcake.
Simply washing produce with water is enough
Social media platforms like TikTok might make you think that you need salt, baking soda, vinegar, or special cleaners to wash your fruit thoroughly, but that’s not necessary. As we’ve previously covered, food safety experts recommend using nothing but water when washing your fruits and vegetables—not commercial cleaners, vinegar, or salt. (I still can’t quite understand why baking soda is used for this, but then again, I’m not a TikTok influencer.)
Dr. Schaffner points out that there is little evidence suggesting vinegar will actually clean your food more effectively. His recommendation? Save vinegar for your salad dressing. He further adds that spending money on specialized produce cleaners would be better spent on purchasing more fresh produce. Additionally, while salt water is sometimes used to check for fly larvae in berries, this is not necessary for home use. (Mytour senior health editor Beth Skwarecki explains why here.)
When washing fruits and vegetables, your primary goal should be to remove dirt. It's unrealistic—and unnecessary—to try to wash away every single microbe. Simply running water over the produce, and scrubbing it if it’s particularly dirty, is all that’s needed. (However, don't forget to wash your hands with soap before handling produce, or any food.)
Avoid soaking your produce in the sink
A common practice among influencers is to submerge everything in a sink filled with water and vinegar, swish it around, and then drain the water. Although they often make a big deal of showing off all the dirt they supposedly removed, soaking produce in still water can be harmful.
First off, your sink isn’t exactly sanitary. According to Dr. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist and professor at the University of Arizona in Tucson, also known as Dr. Germ, your sink is downright filthy. “There’s more E. coli in a kitchen sink than in a toilet after you flush it,” he told Food & Wine. “The sink is an ideal breeding ground for E. coli because it’s moist. Bacteria thrive on food scraps that get washed down the drain and leftovers on dishes in the sink.”
Cleaning your sink certainly helps reduce the bacteria that might linger around it, but a simpler way to keep unwanted germs from transferring to your apples is to wash them under running water. The flowing water helps wash away dirt and grime from your fruit and carries it down the drain, keeping it free from any microbes that might be lingering in your sink.
And once again, the issue of moisture arises: The longer your fruits and vegetables are left soaking, the more water they absorb, which accelerates the process of mold growth.
Avoid washing berries in a salad spinner
I’m a fan of my salad spinner, but it’s the worst enemy of raspberries. A salad spinner works like a centrifuge, forcibly slamming your produce against the sides of the basket and spinning the water off. While it’s great for greens or even mushrooms, it’s much too harsh on delicate berries. Bruised fruit spoils much faster, so it’s better to avoid using the spinner and instead dry your berries with paper towels.
Don’t store limes (or anything else) submerged in water
In the video above, Kellie washes a batch of limes, then places them in jars and covers them with water. A similar technique for storing avocados was popularized last year, but as Skwarecki has pointed out, this is a bad idea. While immersing produce in water may shield it from oxygen, it also encourages the growth of harmful pathogens like Listeria and Salmonella, which can infiltrate the fruit’s flesh.
After an avocado has been stored in the fridge for a few days, washing it is no longer sufficient to remove enough bacteria for safety. According to FDA studies, when avocados are submerged in water, bacteria from the skin can migrate into the fruit’s edible flesh, making it impossible to rinse or scrub them off.
Limes aren’t avocados, but water is still water, and mold and bacteria thrive in it. Store your fruit in the dry produce drawer like everyone else. Personally, I’ve never found limes to spoil quickly, so I don’t understand the desire to keep them submerged in water in the first place.
Why all the extra containers?
Influencers are fond of buying items like $70 cups, plastic egg holders, and berry containers that claim to extend the freshness of raspberries. I can’t speak to how well these products work, but I’ve never had trouble with a standard egg carton, and most packaging your fruits and vegetables come in is already designed to keep them fresh. After all, keeping produce fresh for longer helps stores sell more—never underestimate the power of capitalism.
Those specialized berry containers might help soak up moisture and keep your berries fresh a little longer. However, in Kellie’s case, all they’re really doing is absorbing the excess moisture she added by “prepping” her produce ahead of time, which makes the whole idea less effective. (That said, I’m a fan of her bacon holder. Count me as influenced.)
Unless your goal is to make an “ASMR” video with plastic clicks and splashing water, it’s best to stick with the basics when washing fruits and vegetables: Start by removing any moldy or bruised items, then store the rest in the fridge, preferably in their original packaging. When you’re ready to eat, wash your hands with soap and water first, then rinse the produce under cold running water—even if you plan to peel it—and scrub firm items with a clean produce brush. Dry with clean paper towels, and cook or enjoy as usual.
