The Baking Soda Hack For The Cleanest Fruits And Vegetables In The Kitchen
The jury may still be out on whether you need to wash your meat before cooking with it (the officials say no, but others swear by it, and some even say that it's a culturally important practice), but everyone knows you should always wash your fruit and vegetables before you eat them. However, there aren't many safe ways to do it. According to the USDA, not only are detergents and soap not safe to wash produce with, neither are the produce washes you can buy at the store. Because those products are cleaners, not foods, they aren't approved for consumption by the FDA, as the contents haven't been proven safe.
Hot water is also out because it can wilt your produce, but the cold water rinse recommended by the USDA might not always feel like a deep enough clean if you're preparing produce that's especially caked in dirt, or that has a visible coating of wax on its skin. We're looking at you, cucumbers. But baking soda can help. According to Arm & Hammer, produce can be safely cleaned using a bath of cold water and baking soda, and there are a few reasons why this method might really work.
Why baking soda works
Unlike soap, bleach, and commerical produce washes, baking soda is actually approved for human consumption by the FDA — it's a "Generally Recognized As Safe" food additive. Produce is porous, so any cleaning agent you use can be absorbed by it. Using baking soda to wash your produce, then, is a safe bet, because it's already known to be safe to eat. But more importantly, it may actually be better at getting fruits and vegetables clean than just cold water alone.
For one, baking soda can help dissolve wax in other situations (ear wax, carpet stains, clothing), so it could help dissolve the waxy coating that's applied to some produce, too. Secondly, the University of Wisconsin explains that baking soda is effective for cleaning "because it is a mild alkali and can cause dirt and grease to dissolve easily in water for effective removal." Undissolved baking soda can be used as a food-safe abrasive to help scrub potatoes, beets, and other especially dirty produce, too. Just make sure to wash your hands before you start, rinse and dry off your produce after washing it in the baking soda soak, and you'll have safely cleaned, fresh produce to enjoy in all of your favorite recipes.