The Best Way To Clean Apples
There's nothing quite like the pleasant crunch and explosion of juicy tartness that comes with biting into a fresh apple. This delicious fruit comes in so many varieties, all with various uses, that it can be used in all aspects of our cooking. However, it's important to make sure your apples are properly washed, just as you should wash all your fruits and vegetables before using them. Whether you get your apples from the supermarket or pluck them from your own orchard, they'll still need a good scrub.
The American Food and Drug Administration recommends thoroughly rinsing produce under running water. While water is a solid, easy option, if you really want to maximize the cleanliness of your apples, the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry suggests using a mix of water and baking soda. Because it's mildly abrasive, baking soda can pull dirt and bacteria from surfaces, including produce.
Why should we wash our apples?
Harmful bacteria from soil or water can linger on fresh produce. Research conducted by the Environmental Working Group found that apples were one of the most likely fruits to contain traces of pesticides. Fortunately, the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry's research took this into account and tested baking soda's capabilities of removing pesticides, finding that it was more effective than both water and bleach. There are other reasons not to wash your produce in bleach, but the fact that it doesn't work is a compelling one.
Even if you're peeling your apple, you should still wash it! There's a possibility that bacteria can be transferred from the trimmings during the preparation process, so it's better to be safe than sorry.
Relying on pre-washed produce isn't always the answer, either. Several sources claim that, due to the sheer amount of human contact supermarket fruit and veg receives, there's a pretty high chance the ready-to-eat stuff will still need a good clean.