Friends got together over the weekend and went to visit Ah Hong. While chatting, Ah Hong took the fruit everyone brought to wash. She used dishwashing detergent to clean the fruit. Seeing this, I was horrified and immediately stopped her, suggesting she use toothpaste, salt, or cornstarch instead.
Because when I usually wash dishes with dishwashing detergent, if I don't wear rubber gloves, the skin on my hands will always get irritated or slightly damaged—peeling. Later, I consulted with an expert on detergents and learned that dishwashing detergents, because their main component is chemically synthesized alkyl surfactants, can cause problems like "burning" the skin and have toxic side effects. They are not only irritating to the skin, but also, since these chemical compounds are not essential for the human body, trace residues are inevitably left behind. Authoritative sources believe that the accumulation of these residues in the body over time is detrimental to human health. Even when used, it is necessary to rinse thoroughly with a large amount of water to remove harmful substances from vegetables, fruits, and tableware. Washed fruits and vegetables should be scrubbed repeatedly to completely remove any residues to avoid affecting health.
How can fruit be washed safely? My sister, who works in the medical field, taught me: for washing dishes, only use toothpaste and flour; for washing fruits and vegetables, use salt or starch. For example, to wash an apple, first wet it with water, then put a little salt on the surface. Hold the apple with both hands and rub it gently back and forth; the dirt on the surface will come off quickly. Then rinse it with clean water, and you can eat it with peace of mind. The principle of this method is that the granules of salt increase friction, and salt is also very clean. Another good method is to use toothpaste as a cleaning agent on the apple's surface. Washing apples with hot water is also a very good method, as it easily removes preservatives and other substances from the skin. You can eat fruit washed this way.
Clever Ways to Wash Fruit
With a wide variety of fresh fruits now available on the market, how can you wash them cleverly, easily, and quickly?
Clever Way to Wash Grapes
In autumn, it's the peak season for grapes. Grapes have a layer of white powder on their surface, along with some dirt. If you scrub too hard, you'll bruise them; if you're too gentle, the dirt won't come off. What should you do?
There's a simple method: put the grapes in water, then add two spoonfuls of either flour or starch. You don't need to knead them hard; just gently agitate them back and forth in the water. The flour and starch are sticky and will carry away all the dirt.
Clever Way to Wash Apples
Many people like to eat apples with the skin on, but many preservation techniques leave chemical residues on the surface that are difficult to wash off. Here are a few tips.
Tip 1: After wetting the apple with water, sprinkle a little salt on its surface. Then hold the apple with both hands and rub it gently back and forth. This will quickly remove the dirt from the surface. Rinse it with water, and it's ready to be eaten.
Tip 2: Prepare a small basin with some starch and wash the apple with it. This method is also suitable for washing pears and grapes, and it doesn't easily discolor the fruit's surface.
Tip 3: Applying toothpaste to the apple's surface as a cleaning agent is a very safe method. Washing apples with hot water is also a good idea, as it easily removes preservatives from the skin.
Tip 4: It's best to use a special fruit and vegetable cleaner. Experts remind not to use dishwashing detergents of questionable quality. Poor-quality detergents may not only be ineffective at cleaning but could also harm your health due to residual substances.
Bayberries
After cleaning bayberries, they should be soaked in salt water for 20-30 minutes before eating, as salt water can kill certain germs and also help remove parasites hidden in the fruit pulp.
Using Salt to Wash Peaches is the Cleanest Way
When Ms. Liu from Chaoyang District, Beijing, bought peaches home, she initially intended to soak them in salt water to remove pesticides. However, she discovered a great method for removing the peach fuzz. She recently called our newspaper to recommend it: using salt can quickly "depilate" the peaches, making them easy and clean to wash.
It's currently peach season. Fresh peaches are delicious, but they have too much fuzz that is hard to remove. Ms. Liu shared her method: first, rinse the peaches with water, then sprinkle a handful of salt on the surface and rub gently. Soak the peaches in water for a moment, then rinse them clean, and the fuzz will be completely gone. Alternatively, you can add a little salt to the water, soak the peaches in it for a while, and then gently rub them; the fuzz will also come off completely.
Furthermore, some media reports have suggested that some peaches on the market that look very fresh and have little fuzz may have been "beautified" with laundry detergent. Therefore, be careful when buying and don't be fooled by their beautiful appearance.
Generally, unwashed peaches have a layer of fine fuzz; peaches washed with laundry detergent have very little fuzz, feel very smooth to the touch, and smell of laundry detergent residue rather than peaches. Therefore, when buying, it's best to choose peaches that have a layer of fuzz and are not overly bright in color.
How to Clean Delicious Strawberries
Strawberries are bright red, delicious, and a fruit that is excellent in color, aroma, and taste. They contain nutrients like protein, sucrose, fructose, citric acid, malic acid, carotene, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. Their vitamin C content is about 10 times that of grapes and apples, and they contain no cholesterol, making them very popular. Eating strawberries after a meal can promote gastrointestinal motility, aid digestion, and prevent constipation. In traditional Chinese medicine, strawberries are considered sweet, sour, and cool, and are believed to moisten the lungs and promote fluid production, strengthen the spleen and stomach, and clear heat from the blood. They have special health benefits for patients with arteriosclerosis, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and scurvy. Research suggests that women who often eat strawberries can improve the condition of their hair and skin. Strawberries contain an substance called aspartic acid, which some studies believe can aid in weight loss.
The strawberry plant grows close to the ground, and as a delicate herb, it is easily susceptible to pests, diseases, and various microorganisms. Therefore, multiple pesticides are used during cultivation, and fertilizers are applied to make the strawberries plumper. As a result, the surface of strawberries may have some pesticides, fertilizers, and bacteria that must be washed off and disinfected before consumption. Unlike pears or apples, strawberries cannot be peeled, and their uneven, thin skin can be easily damaged with slight pressure. Many people don't know how to wash them properly. Some even eat them without washing, which often leads to diseases like diarrhea caused by contaminated strawberries.
Cleaning strawberries should include the following steps:
1. First, rinse them under running tap water for several minutes to remove most of the bacteria, pesticides, and other contaminants on the surface. Note: Do not soak them in water first, as this could cause the pesticides to dissolve into the water and then be reabsorbed by the strawberry, penetrating into the fruit.
2. Soak the strawberries in rice water (preferably the first rinse water) and light salt water (add half a spoonful of salt to a basin of water) for 3 minutes. These serve different purposes: the alkaline rice water helps break down pesticides; the light salt water helps lift insects and insect eggs off the surface, making them easier to rinse away, and it also has a disinfecting effect. A 1:5000-10000 potassium permanganate solution (light pink) can also be used for disinfection, but it can turn into manganese dioxide and remain on the strawberry. Although manganese is a component of many enzymes in the body and a trace element we need, the amount we get from our daily food is sufficient. There is no need for additional supplementation. Moreover, in some areas, the tap water comes from old pipes, leading to higher manganese content in the drinking water, and excessive manganese intake is not good for your health. Therefore, it's best not to use it.
3. Rinse again with running tap water to remove the rice water, salt water, and any remaining harmful substances.
4. Rinse once more with purified water (or cold boiled water).
Additionally, it's important to remember not to remove the strawberry tops before washing, as this could allow pesticides and contaminants to seep into the fruit through the "wound," causing further pollution. It's best not to use any dishwashing detergents, including "vegetable cleaners," to wash strawberries. Although all approved "food-grade detergents" have passed safety tests and can be used to clean dishes and vegetables, the premise is that they must be thoroughly rinsed off afterward. Since detergents are chemical products, not food, they may leave residues on the strawberry's surface that are difficult to wash away. Therefore, it's better not to use them. It's best to minimize the intake of chemical active substances.
The above method for cleaning strawberries also applies to bayberries and other fruits.