Due to the high number of recalls in the US on fresh fruit and veg, it seems like Americans should learn how to easily sanitize all fresh veg you plan to eat or serve. This is the same method I’ve used for decades living across Africa, and apparently I get terrible food poisoning less than the average American.
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Bleach Wash - use about a tablespoon of unscented, unthickened, regular bleach per gallon of water. It needs to be just enough to be able to smell the chlorine. Soak your veg in this for 15-20 minutes. Lettuce, cucumbers, spinach, anything that comes into contact with the ground is especially in need of this. (Industrial farms use a chlorine gas dip to do this before packaging, so you’re just doing it yourself).
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Vinegar Wash - Using any typical 5% acidity vinegar (use plain or white vinegar, don’t waste anything with flavor). Use a 3:1 ratio of water to vinegar - so 1 cup of vinegar and 3 cups of water. Then soak for 5-10 minutes.
NEVER MIX VINEGAR AND BLEACH It will force the chlorine out of solution and you’ll have a bad time. Bleach will also etch and degrade stainless steel, so don’t soak in your sink or in a metal bowl.
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Use a plastic bowl or salad spinner. After stuff is clean, rinse it once, then rinse it again. Dry it and marvel in how you’re probably not going to get nasties in your gut.
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Be careful not to splash bleach water on you, as it’ll bleach your clothing. Wear an apron or just be careful.
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If the items you’re soaking float, either weigh them down under water, or just spin them and ensure they get coated.
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Absolutely not
Why not? You don’t wind up eating any significant amount of bleach or vinegar in the end.
It’s also a very small price to pay in order to avoid unwanted parasites, bacteria, etc.
Based on… What exactly?
Vinegar and bleach washes are pretty tried and tested. For a while idiots during covid weren’t rinsing things off after they disinfected them, so the CDC had to revise their guidance to exclude bleach because of user error.
I wouldn’t use bleach, but vinegar seems okay when you’re in a high risk situation. The smell will attract fruit flies tho.
Apple cider vinegar might in a high concentration and over a longer time, but im also saying 5-10 minutes. If just vinegar will attract a problematic amount of flies in your house in 5 minutes, then things like salad dressing or a jar of pickles would be impossible to have.
