During the summer period, many people actively begin to buy and consume berries.
However, there is a mistake that most people make: berries are not washed thoroughly before consumption.
Therefore, it is worth understanding why it is important to wash berries thoroughly before eating them and how to do it correctly.
Let's listen to the expert of the online publication "BelNovosti" Yulia Arkhipova, a cook and fourth-class baker.
The berries grow outdoors where they are exposed to dirt, dust, pesticides and microorganisms.
Even if they look clean, they may contain harmful substances on their surface.
Washing berries before eating helps remove contaminants and reduce the risk of foodborne illness.
Strawberries are one of the most delicate berries, and they need to be washed especially carefully.
Place the berries in a colander and rinse them under a gentle stream of cold water.
You can also soak the strawberries in a bowl of cold water for a few minutes, then carefully transfer them to a towel to dry.
Raspberries are very fragile, so the best way to wash them is a quick rinse in a bowl of cold water.
It is enough to leave the berries in the water for a few seconds, then carefully transfer them to a towel.
It is important to avoid a strong stream of water so as not to damage the berries.
Blueberries and bilberries are denser and firmer, so they can be rinsed under a gentle stream of cold water.
It makes sense to use a colander for convenience. After washing, it is important to let the berries dry on a towel.
You can use the same technique for washing grapes as you would for blueberries.
First of all, you need to rinse the bunches under a gentle stream of cold water, and then dry them on a towel.
If the grapes are too dirty, you can soak them in water with white vinegar (1 part vinegar to 3 parts water) for a few minutes, then rinse thoroughly with clean water.
White vinegar is an excellent natural disinfectant and cleaning agent.
Soaking berries in a vinegar solution helps remove bacteria and pesticides.
To do this, mix one part vinegar with three parts water and soak the berries for 5-10 minutes.
After soaking, rinse them thoroughly under cold water to remove any remaining vinegar.
Earlier we told you what to add to coffee to enhance its invigorating effect.