You might think cleaning apples doesn’t need to go beyond rinsing them with water. However, you would be surprised how little this does to make them safer to eat.
While a quick rinse gets rid of visible dirt, it might still leave bacteria and pesticides residing on its skin. This is why you should take a few extra steps to ensure they are properly clean. Check out the step-by-step guide below.
Don’t Clean Apples Until You Want to Eat Them
If you clean the apples ahead of time, you will speed up their rotting process. This is why you should leave them alone until you want to eat them.
Soak Them in a Mixture of Baking Soda and Water
Once you decide you are in the mood for some apple snacking or want to use them for a dessert, prepare a bath for your apples. Mix a teaspoon of baking soda with two cups of water and let the apples sit in the mixture for a few minutes. Baking soda will efficiently remove most of the pesticides.
Rinse Them Under Running Water
After the apples have been soaked, rinse them under running water. This will remove all the remaining dirt and wash off the baking soda mixture.
Inspect the Apples
Next, you want to inspect the apples for mold or bruises. If you find any, use a knife to cut them out.
Peel the Apples
Peeling an apple is a great way to ensure it is completely safe to eat. But make sure to do this after you’ve rinsed the apple since you don’t want to contaminate the flesh with the pesticides from the skin.
