This is The Most Effective Way To Wash Fresh Strawberries

Is there anything more quintessentially summer than a basket of fresh-picked strawberries? However, before you bite into one of these juicy morsels, you'll want to make sure that you're properly cleaning off the fruit.

Washing strawberries ensures you and your family don't consume any unnecessary grime, bugs, or chemicals (because no one wants a contaminated strawberry shortcake). So before you take out the produce-friendly soap and brush, read our simple, time-saving method.

Preparation

First and foremost, don't wash your strawberries until you're ready to cook with or eat them. Strawberries have a sponge-like quality that causes them to suck up as much moisture as possible. Unfortunately, if you wash your berries in advance and then store them, they will spoil much more quickly.

How to Rinse Strawberries

If you are buying organic (and pesticide-free) berries from a farmer's market or another local source, you can rinse them in cool water before laying them out on a dish towel or paper towel to dry. Then, you're ready to slice, bake, or pop into your mouth.

If your fresh local strawberries seem dirty, you can also use the vinegar method below to remove excess grime. However, don't use a produce brush because that could damage the fragile exterior or crush the berry entirely.

What You'll Need

• Colander
• Running water
• Clean cloth or paper towel

Steps

1. Place fresh strawberries inside a colander and run them under a stream of fresh, cool water for several seconds. Use clean hands to rotate the berries inside the bowl, so each strawberry gets rinsed.
2. Turn off the water, then shake the colander to remove any excess liquid. Place the strawberries on a clean cloth and pat dry before cutting.

How to Wash Strawberries

If you're buying strawberries from the grocery store, and especially if they've been grown conventionally using pesticides, you will want to take a few more steps before consumption. Strawberries are one of the most highly sprayed conventional crops out there, and you want to minimize the pesticides you and your family are consuming.

Additionally, the journey from big farm to grocery store shelf is a long one, and your berries have been handled by many different people and exposed to different conditions. Needless to say, it's worth a few extra moments to make sure your fruit is clean as can be.

What You'll Need

• White vinegar
• Water
• Large bowl with a colander
• Clean cloth or paper towel

Steps

1. Fill a large bowl with four parts water to one part white vinegar.
2. Place the berries in a colander that fits inside the larger bowl. Drop the colander slowly into the bowl, and make sure the berries are completely submerged with the vinegar wash.
3. Soak for approximately 20 minutes (any longer can create a soggy berry and any shorter isn't as effective).
4. Lift the colander and rinse the fruit thoroughly under cool water. Pat the fruit dry with a clean cloth or paper towels. Don't worry, there won't be a hint of vinegar left behind if you rinse well—just the sweet and perfectly tangy taste of summertime.