When Should You Wash Berries?

When you get those beautiful berries home from the market or grocery store, when should you wash them? Christopher Kimball's Milk Street magazine, saw all the debate on social media and decided to do a test to get the answer. The following is what they discovered after testing six popular approaches. The berries they used in their testing were strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. By the way for you who love blueberries, blueberries stayed good, the tester's used the word perky, no matter the storage method.

• Two testing methods kept the berries unwashed, either in their original container or spread out on paper toweling. The four remaining methods involved washing: a brief rinse in hot water, or a soak in a baking soda, vinegar or hydrogen peroxide solution. All the washed berries were dried and stored in single layers on paper towel-lined trays. 
• Results: By day two, differences were already clear. Vinegar and hydrogen peroxide caused the fastest breakdown, while baking soda and hot water left the raspberries soft and leaky within days. The only berries that held their shape and resisted mold were the unwashed berries stored on paper towels. After a full week, those same berries still looked the best: firmer and less moldy. They were more appealing overall.
• Conclusion: Don't wash berries until you are ready to eat them. Keep the strawberries and raspberries dry, spread out and well-ventilated in the refrigerator. Those hearty blueberries don't care when you wash them.
  
  
  
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