Basil - to wash or not to wash? Best practices?

Question

I know that washing basil weakens it's flavor significantly. I often buy it from local supermarkets where everyone can touch it, that's why I just have to wash it. But even when I buy organic basil, I still feel the urge to wash it. How do you deal with that? Is there any way to 'wash' the basil without weaken it's flavour?

Asked by Sven

Answer

People generally wash fruit and vegetables (organic or not) to remove surface contamination ,and the bacteria it may host, from the farm and supply chain

This includes soil (ground based animal faeces), compost (rotted vegetable matter), airborne dropped bird faeces, road dust (often high in animal faeces), and other surface contamination that can host bacteria

A short and simple wash by hand in a bowl or sink of cold tap water will remove large amounts of these surface contamination from most fruit and vegetables. Some may require light brushing or scrubbing. And for best results rinse in running cold tap water after washing

Gentle washing will NOT remove any significant flavour or aromas

Answered by TFD

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Does washing kimchi with water reduce the sodium content much?

Question

Does washing kimchi just before eating it reduce its sodium content much, or do I have to put it in water overnight or several days?

Asked by Jisang Yoo

Answer

Answer depends on how the kim chi is made.

I make it using a variant on this recipe. The protocol there is to treat the leaves with a salty brine for 4 hours, then rinse them extensively.

No further salt is added in the recipe, so any salt in the final product will have osmosed into the leaves. Most of that salt won't come back out except with a prolonged soak*.

I've seen other kim chi recipes that do involve adding back salt after the initial brining and rinse. The sodium content of those could be reduced with a quick rinse, but you'll likely lose flavor too.

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• Juices in with the kim chi are likely at euilibrium with sodium in the leaves, so simply pressing the stuff lightly to remove as much juice as possible might be the best way to limit sodium without sacrificing too much flavor.

Answered by Wayfaring Stranger

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Washing Vegetables With And Storing Lemon Essential Oil?

Question

According to this article it is better to use lemon essential oil when washing vegetables. It is said to add prepared mixture to spray bottle but nothing about if it is possible to store spray bottle and under which temperature.

This is why i ask this question here. Maybe somebody knows?

Also, is it critical to store mixture in a clean new spray bottle or i can use cleaned spray bottle from windows cleaning detergent?

Thanks.

Answer

I don't see a point to doing this at all. The lemon oil may act as a mild surfactant in larger quantity. Use water and elbow-grease to clean your veggies -- you're primarily trying to remove dirt. Use of Scotch Brite-style scrubbing pads (so long as they're detergent-free) works nicely for heartier veggies like carrots and potatoes, and a vegetable brush or cloth for more delicate things.

If you're trying to kill germs, you may want to try soaking briefly in a VERY mild bleach solution. If you're trying to prevent browning via oxidation, particularly in cut vegetables, acidulated water should do the trick -- add some lemon juice or crushed vitamin C tablets to water and soak until needed.

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