Importance of washing ALL veggies

Growing up, we as kids are taught to wash our produce prior to eating it but it was not a rule that I ever religiously followed until I learned more about food.

Every vegetable you purchase must be washed unless it is bagged and that bag specifies the product has been thoroughly washed. Not all dirt is as easy to see as notoriously dirty vegetables like celery, leeks, or lettuce. Dirt hides in all the creases and cracks and depending on whether your produce grows above or below ground, this will determine the scrubbing necessary.

Veggies and fruit that grow above ground like celery, tomatoes, cauliflower, and lettuces can be hand scrubbed and most dirt and grime is fairly visible to scrub away. Unless you are buying organic, you are attempting to scrub some of the pesticide away as well.

In the case of veggies that grow underground, it is important to thoroughly scrub them using a vegetable scrubbing brush. Carrots and Potatoes may appear clean from rinsing off but dirt hides between the microscopic sized cracks and creases in the skin. Peeling these vegetables will obviously remove the problem but you also remove flavour and nutritional value.

Washing produce may be that one annoying step you want to skip but seeing a ring of dirt around your pan after boiling potatoes is not attractive to guests! :p