It's always a good idea to wash any vegetable before you eat it, even if you plan to cook it thoroughly. Washing helps get rid of not only germs, but also other possible contaminants, like dirt and pesticides.
Sometimes, raw fruits and vegetables contain harmful germs that can make you and your family sick, such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. The safest produce to eat is cooked; the next safest is washed. Wash fruits and vegetables under running water—even if you do not plan to eat the peel.
Produce can carry dangerous bacteria
Sometimes dirty produce can result in foodborne sickness. We have seen recent outbreaks of veggies with E. coli, Salmonella, and more,” Janette Nesheiwat, MD, says. “This can result in nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and fever, along with dehydration.”
Under running water: The simplest way to wash broccoli (or any fresh produce) is to hold it under running water. Use a colander to hold your broccoli florets and then pick up each floret individually to rub dirt or insects out of the crevices in each broccoli head.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says, “Many pre-cut, bagged, or packaged produce items are pre-washed and ready-to-eat. If so, it will be stated on the packaging, and you can use the produce without further washing.” The Centers for Disease Control say the same.
If leafy greens are labeled as "pre-washed" or "ready-to-eat," washing them is not necessary. After washing fresh greens, pat them dry with paper towels or a freshly clean kitchen towel — or use a salad spinner — to help remove excess liquid.
Gently squish and soak the greens in the bowl, then drain the dirty water. Repeat the process a few times, until the water pours out clean. Fill the bowl again and add a few spritzes of fruit and vegetable cleaner (if you have it) or a splash of white vinegar.
For yard long beans, pesticide residues were reduced by 38–100% after boiling, 27–28% after blanching, and 35–63% after stir-frying. Therefore, cooking vegetables are proven to protect consumers from ingesting pesticide residues.
Make sure not to wash the broccoli beforehand, as too much moisture might encourage mold growth. Instead, thoroughly wash it right before you use it. Stored this way, it'll stay fresh for three to five days.
In addition, you should not wash your broccoli before storing it, as wet broccoli could turn mushy or lead to mold growth (however, you should wash your broccoli once you're ready to use it). When stored properly, broccoli can last three to five days in the fridge.
Afraid so – although boiling or steaming your veg will kill off any bacteria, there's still the problem of pesticides, which can wash off the vegetables and hang around in the water while cooking. Thorough washing and drying with clean kitchen paper will help remove any pesticide traces.
Rinsing removes debris and dirt and any microbial contaminants they may contain. Washing also helps remove some of the surface pesticides that may be present, though guidelines are generally the same for organic produce as for conventional produce.
Scrubbing produce under cold water, washing with a baking soda solution or peeling are all excellent ways to reduce pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables.
Broccoli can be stored in the fridge or freezer, whole or cut into florets and can last anywhere from 3 to 5 days.
The best place to store broccoli is in the refrigerator, but like other cruciferous vegetables, broccoli likes having some room to breathe. Keep it in a loosely wrapped or perforated plastic bag so it will still get some air circulation.
Run cool or cold water over the broccoli and fill the bowl to the top. Sprinkle with some salt over the entire bowl. This will help clean out any debris, sand, or dirt left inside the florets that are not visible. Then, drain in a colander.
Boiling leaches out the vegetable's water-soluble vitamins in these vegetables, such as vitamin C and folate, as well as many of the glucosinolate compounds, which are water-soluble, too.
Fill a large bowl with cold or warm water. Allow it to soak for 2 minutes, then dump the vegetables into a colander and allow the soaking water to drain away. While it's still in the colander, give the broccoli a good rinse under running water once more.
There's no harm in doing so, but it's not necessary. The only thing that rinsing off baby carrots will do is remove any dirt that might be on the surface. It won't wash away any bacteria, but only very rarely have pathogens been associated with baby carrots.
It turns out, washing your fruits and vegetables really might help. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you wash your produce to avoid food-borne illnesses like norovirus, which is the country's leading cause of disease outbreaks from contaminated food.
Which Foods Should You Wash? The main foods you should wash before eating are raw fruits and vegetables, and salad items. This is because of the bacteria that may still be on them from their time growing.
Bagged or ready-to-eat, fresh-cut produce
If the product is not labeled "washed," "triple washed," or "ready-to-eat," it must be washed before eating.
Consumers Union, on its website, advises consumers to go ahead and give those bagged, pre-washed greens an extra washing. The bottom line is — if you eat fresh lettuce, you're taking a small risk. An additional washing won't change the risk much, one way or the other.
The best way to preserve fresh spinach is to keep it dry. For this reason, it's best to not wash your spinach until you are ready to use it. However, if you plan to put it in a salad and want it completely dry in advance, it's okay to wash it a day early.