Here are some tips on how clean your fruits and vegetables so that when you run them through your juicer they will be bacteria free.
Some people believe that the best way to clean fruits and vegetables is to place them under tap water and gently rub them with a scrub brush. Also they think that just rinsing with water is adequate if it is a salad or a softer fruit or vegetable.
Others believe that this could not be further from the truth. They do not believe that just by doing these simple steps that all of the contaminants will rinse off the fruits and vegetables. They believe that the bacteria virus could still be even after feverishly rinsing.
Some time ago, a food scientist from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University created a new way to sanitizing vegetables. This new system uses simple disinfectants, hydrogen peroxide and vinegar to clean the fruits and vegetables. This method takes a small percentage of hydrogen peroxide(the amount available in pharmacies) and apple cider or white vinegar place them in spray bottles.
The two different substances are then sprayed separately and then rinsed with water from the faucet. This seemingly simple development killed bacteria like Salmonella, Shigella, and E.coli. This even killed the contaminants better than bleach or the other sprays and washed that are currently on the market.
This method has also been used to clean around different homes. It is effective on counter tops, cutting boards, and all around the house. This method is only effective if the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide are in separate bottles and not mixed together. By putting the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide together this would create peracetic acid.
This is a chemical that is highly dangerous and is not as good as using the liquids separately. It does not matter the order in which these liquids are sprayed as long as they are in the different spray bottles. Always rinse under tap water in order to remove all the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide off of the fruit or vegetable.
It is a good idea to only clean the fruit or vegetable right before it is being eaten to ensure that it stays as fresh as possible. Fruits and vegetables are equipped with natural outings to ensure that it stays fresh and does not spoil fast. Always wash fruit and vegetables even if the packaging states that they have been pre-washed.
This is a great precautionary measure. It is important to remember that even though something may appear to be clean many times it is not. Next week, we will confront how to keep all the parts of a kitchen sanitized and free from danger; including how to sanitize sponges, how to decide if a hamburger is cooked thoroughly, and how to defrost food items.
