How to wash vegetables
Although there are clear differences between vegetables, given by the characteristics of each type of vegetable, if it is about hygienizing there are certain basic standards that serve all of them equally and that you should always follow:- Wash your hands very well. Sélealas with soap and water for 20 seconds.
– Meticulously clean the work surface and the utensils you will use. For example, the table, knife, table, strainer, etc.
– Acquire a special brush for each type of vegetable. For vegetables with hard peels, such as pumpkin, use a large and strong bristles. For more delicate leather vegetables, such as cucumber, eggplant, zucchini, etc., use a medium brush of soft bristles. Finally, there are the tubers, to these tales a medium brush of intermediate bristles.
– Have an exclusive table for vegetables. If you use the same table for all foods, you risk suffering cross contamination. Design a table for everything: one for vegetables, another for bread and bowling, one for meats and one for fish. Avoid very porous texture tables.
– Use an antiseptic to disinfect the tables. In these times of pandemic, the most recommended is the bleach of food use, although there are many others that you can prepare at home. To use it, pour into a large bowl a solution of 1 liter of water for 1 cdta of food bleach. Remember that the label must indicate that chlorine serves to purify water and hygienize food, if you use common chlorine it will not serve, it is toxic.
Some special measures during pandemic
Although COVID-19 is not spread through food, it never hurts some precautions. So when you arrive from the purchase, disinfect the packages of the vegetables with a vaporizer that contains a solution of alcohol and water and let it act for a few minutes (5 minutes). Then, using cooking paper, dry them to finish cleaning them (for each packaging wears a new towel and defounded it at the end). Eliminate unnecessary packaging (if the fruit can be preserved well without them, throw them out) and leave only the essentials. Once the anterior part is finished, wash all the vegetables under the tap water and prepare the water and chlorine solution. Dip the vegetables in the water and let them rest 3-5 minutes. After this time, the vegetables drain and dry very well to store them (make sure they are very dry or can be damaged). Use gloves, cover your mouth and wash your hands constantly every time you finish cleaning a food.
Disinfectants to wash vegetables
After reviewing the basic rules for washing vegetables, we will see which are the best disinfectants to eliminate any microorganism from this food. All of them are good for all types of vegetables, so that you can choose one or the other based on your preferences or those you have at that time at home.
How to disinfect vegetables with chlorine or bleach
Chlorine or food bleach is an excellent disinfectant due to its incredible effectiveness. Remember that you must make sure to use the food and not domestic option. The proportion is this: – 1 liter of water for 1 teaspoon of chlorine or food bleach
How to disinfect vegetables with vinegar
One of the best natural disinfectants to wash vegetables and fruits is vinegar, both white and apple. You just have to mix water and vinegar in equal parts and immerse food in the solution. The amount will depend on the total vegetables you must disinfect.
How to disinfect vegetables with lemon
Lemon is another perfect product to disinfect vegetables naturally due to its antimicrobial properties. The recommended proportion is:- 1 liter of water by half a maximum lemon juice, being the ideal 1/4.
How to disinfect vegetables with bicarbonate
We finish the list of the best disinfectants to wash vegetables with sodium bicarbonate, another powerful antiseptic. This proportion follows:- 1 liter of hot water per 2 teaspoons of bicarbonate.
Next, we explain the times and other recommendations depending on the type of vegetable.
How to wash green leafy vegetables
Lettuce, spinach, chard and many others, need special treatment when washing them so as not to wither them and leave them well hygienized. The steps do not have more complication and then we explain how to wash green leafy vegetables:- Dehak the vegetable. Take out the leaves very carefully to avoid breaking them or mistreat them.
– Summer them in water with an antiseptic. Set them inside a large and deep bowl, add the natural disinfectant you prefer.
– The soaking time should not exceed 15-20 minutes. After that time, he rubs the leaves with his hands, one by one, very softly so as not to mistreat them. Do it until you feel traces of earth or any dirt.
– Rinse them very well with plenty of water.
– Eliminate dark or withered leaves.
– Drain the leaves and dry them very well. Pass them through the strainer and dry them with kitchen paper (preferably absorbent), ready to be seasoned!
For more information on the specific case of lettuce, consult this other article on how to disinfect lettuce.
How to disinfect cruciferous vegetables
The vegetable family called crucifers (cauliflower, broccoli, col, Brussels cabbage, cabbage, turnip, grelo, radish, mustard leaves, curly, etc.) is represented by fragile structure vegetables, which house many spaces where you can hide bugs. Generally, many of these vegetables seem like a miniature forest, full of small trees, and others resemble a cocoon or onion, since they have many layers. For this reason, we commonly think they are very difficult to wash. However, it is not so complicated and everything is summarized in the following simple steps:- Wash cruciferous vegetables according to their characteristics. Those that have leaves can disinfect them just as it is done with green leafy vegetables. Those that are made up of bouquets will need to wash by the next step.
– Separate in bouquets. If the vegetable is small, separate the branches and if these are still very large, cut them. In the case of large crucifers, cut them in half and then Separal them in small trees, just the size you want to eat.
– Remove the heart or cut it. Eliminate the center or trunk or cut it into small pieces to disinfect them just like the rest of the vegetable.
– Drive the bouquets inside a bowl with water and the chosen disinfectant. Revele them inside the water and leave them there for 15-20 minutes. Don let them float. To prevent this from happening, place a flat plate on top, a little smaller than the bowl, and put something heavy.
– Remove the water and rinse the pieces very well under a stream of cold water. After the stipulated time passes, you will see how the remains of dirt are afloat.
– Drain and dry. Pass the pieces through a strainer and dry them with cooking paper, they are ready to include them in any recipe! One of the best ways to eat this type of vegetables is cooking them in the oven, and for this we advise you to consult the baked cauliflower recipe.
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