Clean fruits and vegetables before eating, cutting, or cooking, unless the package says the contents have been washed. Wash or scrub fruits and vegetables under running water—even if you do not plan to eat the peel. Germs on the peel or skin can get inside fruits and vegetables when you cut them.
What usually makes a person sick from eating non-washed food is the pesticides used. If you are eating food from your own home garden and you don't use pesticides, you are safe. However, regardless of from where the food you eat comes, it's a good idea to wash it to get ANY impurities off before you eat it.
Throw out any tomatoes that are bruised or spoiled. Wash tomatoes under fresh, cool running water. There is no need to use anything other than water to wash tomatoes. Washing them gently with water is as effective as using produce cleansers.
As a rule of thumb, washing with water reduces dirt, germs, and pesticide residues remaining on fresh fruit and vegetable surfaces.
How to Wash Tomatoes. A quick rinse under the faucet won't cut it for tomatoes (or any produce, really). The key to how to wash tomatoes is to hold them under cold running water for 30 to 60 seconds and rub gently to remove germs, dirt and pesticide residue. Once clean, be sure to store your tomatoes properly.
While you can remove pesticide residues using a soaking solution such as vinegar and water or salt and water, it's not advisable. There's a small risk the chemical reaction between the pesticides and the solution could produce potentially harmful compounds.
Always wash whole tomatoes and other intact fresh produce under running, potable water before use. Soaking produce or storing it in standing water is not recommended for tomatoes or for most other types of fresh produce. Washing fruits and vegetables with soap or detergent is not recommended.
The specialist added that dish soaps and bleach are not meant to be used on fruit or vegetables and may cause health effects if used on food.
Vinegar has been shown to help cut down on bacteria as well as remove a good amount of surface dirt and residue on fresh produce.
Consumers are advised not to try to wash raw red plum, red Roma, or raw red round tomatoes that are implicated in the outbreak. Throw these tomatoes out. Salmonella is very hard to wash off.
Ripe tomatoes should still be kept at on your counter, uncovered, if you are going to enjoy the tomato in the next day or two. But any longer than that – the recommendation is to refrigerate. A so-so tomato is much better than a rotten, moldy tomato. Refrigeration will slow down the decay.
BAKING SODA VERSUS VINEGAR
Use apple cider or white vinegar for a 10-15 minute soak. Then rinse the fruit well. The benefit of baking soda (besides not having any kind of vinegar smell or taste lingering) is that it removes pesticides.
Through its magic (note: it's actually not magic at all, but rather the chemical reaction osmosis), salt can cure a tomato's juice problem. Osmosis never tasted so good. When you simply salt a tomato, you not only draw out the juices, but you also concentrate the fruit's flavor.
Small mold spots can be cut off FIRM fruits and vegetables with low moisture content. It's difficult for mold to penetrate dense foods. (such as cucumbers, peaches, tomatoes, etc.) SOFT fruits and vegetables with high moisture content can be contaminated below the surface.
Rinse produce BEFORE you peel it, so dirt and bacteria aren't transferred from the knife onto the fruit or vegetable. Gently rub produce while holding under plain running water. There's no need to use soap or a produce wash. Use a clean vegetable brush to scrub firm produce, such as melons and cucumbers.
Why You Should Clean Strawberries. Unwashed berries, like many kinds of fresh produce, can have dirt, bacteria, and pesticides living on the surface. So, in order to not ingest said dirt, bacteria, and pesticides, it's super important to wash them thoroughly before you eat them!
Always wash your fruits and vegetables
Use salt, bicarb or vinegar to soak your vegetables for around 20 minutes to remove pesticides and bacteria. Avoid eating fruits and vegetables straight from the packet, even if they are organic.
Washing fruits and vegetables with vinegar kills up to 98% of bacteria on the surface of your produce. Use 1 part white vinegar to 3 parts water for your vinegar bath.
If you have a bounty of ripe tomatoes and you're not going to use them all, give them a rinse, let them dry, remove their stems, and freeze them in a freezer-proof container or bag.
Washing fruits before eating them is essential. Produce is commonly consumed raw, which means any bacteria, chemicals or toxins won't have the opportunity to get cooked off. To remove impurities, opt for vinegar instead of another store-bought cleaner.
Washing fruits and vegetables with soap, detergent, or commercial produce wash is not recommended. Do not use bleach solutions or other disinfecting products on fruits and vegetables. Cut away any damaged or bruised areas before preparing or eating.
White vinegar: Although water is all the CDC, FDA, and USDA recommend using to clean produce, a solution of one part white vinegar and three parts water is effective at reducing bacteria on produce, and in our testing, we didn't detect any sour taste after a thorough post-soak rinse with fresh tap water.
Keeping wash water temperature 10°F warmer than the tomatoes. Refrigerating cut tomatoes at 41°F or less. Holding unrefrigerated cut tomatoes for 4 hours or less.
The salmonella bacteria comes from feces -- human or animal -- and it can live in virtually any kind of fresh food. Outbreaks are frequently connected to raw or undercooked meat. But unless you somehow contaminate your home-grown tomatoes, they are safe to eat.