How to properly wash strawberries and why it really matters
Why you need to wash strawberries (photo: freepik.com)
Strawberry season is in full swing, and many are wondering how to properly wash these juicy berries to ensure they are safe to eat. In response, various hacks have appeared online, suggesting the use of baking soda and even vinegar.
Here is an explanation of how to wash strawberries and whether it's safe to use traditional methods with baking soda.
What lives on strawberries
Ukrainian blogger Diana Holovets posted a video showing strawberries under a microscope, and the sight might scare many.
Like anything else, strawberries host microorganisms, tiny insects, and bugs. Holovets insists that all of this needs to be washed off. She suggests soaking the berries in water with vinegar and then adding baking soda after 10 minutes.
The blogger claims this hack cleans all the dirt from the strawberries. However, the comments section is full of heated debates. Some users say that after watching the microscope video, they no longer want to eat strawberries at all, while others find this washing method utterly ridiculous. Users wrote:
- "You’re paranoid. It’s better to eat dirty strawberries than go through this hassle and end up eating vinegar instead."
- "I don’t even want to eat strawberries after such washing."
- "Let's see what these organisms say to my stomach acid."
- "If I ate a bug, that's the bug's problem."
- "Wow. I used to eat strawberries straight from the garden all my childhood."
Can you wash strawberries with baking soda and vinegar
The debate over this hack has been ongoing for many years. Scientists and doctors have even conducted studies to determine how washing with baking soda and vinegar affects the number of bacteria on fruits and vegetables. It turns out that sometimes this method does work.
However, experts advise against leaving strawberries in water with baking soda and vinegar for too long. Additionally, after soaking, the berries should be rinsed again under running water.
Incidentally, a dietitian recently discussed which foods can help with weight loss.
Sources used in this news piece include a video from Instagram by Ukrainian blogger Diana Holovets, as well as Health and Shuba websites.
