Washing fruit that most people don't wash

[duck833]

I am down at the AZ house, thought I would test this.

I always wash Oranges that I pick off the tree. We have lots of birds down here. Also I use my teeth in getting the peal off.

Just washed a freshly picked Orange and ate it. Perfect.

Actually tried another one, kind of grossed me out not washing it. Not as good.

Tried a fresh grapefuit also just picked off the tree.

Fresh picked citrus is orgasmic!!!!

[Patapsco Mike]

This morning I recruited a friend for a semi-blind test. I washed one orange and didn't wash another. I cut them both into sections. Then I had him hand me sections of each orange without telling me which was which. I ate the meat out of the sections and was able to identify washed and unwashed with 100% accuracy over 8 instances.

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Ah, yes, the Subject-expectancy effect. ;-)

Seriously though, given how different one orange will taste from another, you had a 50/50 shot of figuring out which one was the washed one. After that it's gravy.

Try washing half of one orange, or doing it double blind. You will still have the problem of taste differences between oranges. Science is a PITA.

It's transparently insane. Orange membranes are nearly impermeable except to gasses. Washing a bit of tasteless wax off can't change anything. Unless you are one of those people who eat the rind too.

[jtran]

What you experience when a washed orange tastes better is called the  Observer-expectancy effect, or "placebo effect."  It is indisputably real.

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This morning I recruited a friend for a semi-blind test. I washed one orange and didn't wash another. I cut them both into sections. Then I had him hand me sections of each orange without telling me which was which. I ate the meat out of the sections and was able to identify washed and unwashed with 100% accuracy over 8 instances.

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but that could be caused by ther oranges already tasting different. sometimes, when i get oranges some will be a lot less sweet than others and if i'm lucky i get an insanely sour one.

[plk]

I guess I don't understand the physics of the orange thing. If your dirty orange has dirt and pesticides or other impurities that made their way under the skin, how would washing the outside of the orange rinse any of that off? Is the theory that the water penetrates the rind, grabs the interior impurities, and then exits the rind? Maybe that would work in a long soak, but I can't imagine a quick rinse and scrub would do anything.

[Fat Guy]

The theory is that the knife or your fingers -- whatever you use to cut or peel the fruit -- can carry some of the exterior grime into the meat of the fruit. Also, it may be that there's an aroma issue -- for example if I cut an orange into eight peel-on pieces, even if I only eat the meat, I'm putting the peel pretty close to my nose and mouth when I eat the meat. So aromas could certainly get in there.

[daisy17]

I wash any produce I'm cutting into, and I also wash the tops of cans with soap before I open them. Is that weird? (I'm not going to stop, just wondering.)

How much vinegar do you use to wash your produce and what type? Does that really do anything?

[plk]

Oh okay, that makes sense. I sometimes wipe off can lids in order to avoid getting dust or something else into the food upon opening, though I'm not sure it really affects the end product in any significant way. I'm not sure I believe that whatever is on the exterior of an orange will inevitably contaminate the interior in a way that can be smelled or tasted, though. But it is technically possible, and for something with a delicate flavor, it certainly couldn't hurt.

Edited December 19, 2007 by plk (log)

[Fat Guy]

It does seem impossible that the blade of a knife could carry all that much into the interior. Nonetheless, washing really does seem to make a difference. More analysis is needed.

[nibor]

Cleaning off the top of a can... Huh. That implies that the hard-to-clean cutting blade gear-thing area on your can opener is cleaner than the top of a can. Mine isn't. How are you all accomplishing this?

[prasantrin]

Cleaning off the top of a can...  Huh. That implies that the hard-to-clean cutting blade gear-thing area on your can opener is cleaner than the top of a can. Mine isn't. How are you all accomplishing this?

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I clean the tops off my cans, or at least rinse them, and I also "clean" my can opener by running a thickly-folded paper towel moistened with bleach solution through it. I don't clean my can opener as often as I should, but most of the cans I buy are tab-tops--the kind you pull off (one of the great things about living in Japan).

[adinfinitu]

Cleaning off the top of a can...  Huh. That implies that the hard-to-clean cutting blade gear-thing area on your can opener is cleaner than the top of a can. Mine isn't. How are you all accomplishing this?

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Toothbrush and Bar Keepers Friend.

[Pam R]

I rinse my can opened after using then send it through the dishwasher.

I was always told to wash lettuce in vinegar water - I believe it's supposed to kill any bugs.

[daisy17]

Cleaning off the top of a can...  Huh. That implies that the hard-to-clean cutting blade gear-thing area on your can opener is cleaner than the top of a can. Mine isn't. How are you all accomplishing this?

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My thinking is more like: the top of the can, which sometimes falls partially into the contents of the can, is filthy, as is the rim, which the contents pass over when you pour them out.

Look, I don't touch the poles on the subway either. I'm not saying it's normal.

[torakris]

I rub my apples on my jeans before eating them, that's about it...

[nibor]

Cleaning off the top of a can...  Huh. That implies that the hard-to-clean cutting blade gear-thing area on your can opener is cleaner than the top of a can. Mine isn't. How are you all accomplishing this?

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My thinking is more like: the top of the can, which sometimes falls partially into the contents of the can, is filthy, as is the rim, which the contents pass over when you pour them out.

Look, I don't touch the poles on the subway either. I'm not saying it's normal.

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Oh, I clean the tops of cans. This thread just made me think about how pointless that effort is considering the yukky state of my can opener.

You sound normal to me! I avoid touching most hard surfaces in public places, but not because of germs. I am allergic to some colognes and also some of those cleaning fluids that people spray on, smear around, and let dry in place. If I put my elbows on a table or counter where they clean like that (restaurants that don't use tablecloths, banks, etc) the skin on my elbows blisters up and later cracks off in chunks. This method of cleaning is ubiquitous; I had to quit wearing short sleeves years ago.

Now that I think about it, my elbows are good indicators of another source of food contamination. If your silverware is laid on a bare table, it is probably sitting on dried-up residue from a spray-on chemical cleanser. Those who are so inclined can start dwelling on this....

[birder53]

My sister-in-law used to soak produce in solution designed to kill germs, etc on the outsides of fruit. I can't remember if it was something by Shackley that she used to sell or a mild bleach solution. I also remember something about Andy Warhol soaking fruit in some solution before eating it.

We give fruits and veggies a good rinse before using, even if it will be cooked before eating. Not sure if it makes anything taste better, but when you think of all the hands that touch produce along with the bugs and dirt that are part of the growing and harvesting, it makes me feel better.

[bradyjr]

It does seem impossible that the blade of a knife could carry all that much into the interior. Nonetheless, washing really does seem to make a difference. More analysis is needed.

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Another possibility is that washing the orange is releasing the oils from the skin and the cause of the better taste is the scent of the oil since aroma has so much to do with taste.

[Fat Guy]

That makes sense.

On the issue of what to wash produce with, we have a topic going on veggie wash.

[Dianabanana]

I think I've probably already mentioned elsewhere the time I saw a Safeway stockboy killing fruit flies by spraying the fruit with RAID. So yeah, I wash my fruit--and I wash it well!

[duck833]

That is why I like growing my own Oranges and Grapefuit, all organic, no spray. However they do get hit with bird crap.