Mr. Clean Greens
Washing Vegetables and Fruits at Home
Washing vegetables at home, or in a small restaurant, was one thing; in a hotel with two restaurants and room service, quite another. Quantities grow. You can feel dwarfed by a big kitchen sink filled with a bushel of green beans. Especially when the sink goes up near your armpits, and you must wear rubber gloves that go up to your shoulders—so much water, so many vegetables. And beware the force of the cold water, running fast enough to fill the massive sink in minutes.
Every vegetable presents a unique challenge. The weight of the bags of carrots, the sandy soil that clung to their surface. The hidden grooves in celery and leeks. The easy bruising of the tomatoes.
But leafy greens in big volume were another level of challenging. The first time I washed spinach at the Ritz, I thought I was doing it right but it came out bruised.
I was twenty-two, barely a few weeks into my job at the Ritz—Mecca for a young intellectual cook and nerd of classical cooking.
Morning prep. Bushels of spinach stacked by the sink, their dark green leaves still beaded with water from the wholesaler.
The “Line” at the Ritz ran a long distance, shaped like an L. Looking from the front, you’d see the vegetable and pot washing area on the left side—my first realm. The vegetable walk-in refrigerator faced the same direction, then the sinks along the wall, then the steamers, and across from them a big water bath for storing hot sauces.
Running along the wall were the saucier’s station, the entremetier (the in-between, where the vegetable/fry cook worked), then the broiler. On the other side of the stoves was a long prep table and the “window” where food would be placed in silver serving dishes when ready. On the other side of that window was Sous Chef Hans, who expedited all orders, and across from him, the pantry. At the base of the kitchen, near my vegetable prep station, was the garde manger. I’ll explain what that was in a later post. I digress.
The Master—Chef Oswaldo—was the saucier, like the first chair violin in an orchestra. He worked to my right, about fifteen feet from where I washed and trimmed and cut vegetables. He was extremely talented, extremely detailed and confident. He watched over my work as it would reflect on his own.
I was working on parsley—prepping the leaves to chop, the stems for stock. Flat-leaf Italian parsley, cases of it. I had carefully soaked and washed a bushel, then let it dry. The Master came over to the steel prep table and showed me exactly how he wanted it done. Picking each individual leaf with his fingers, dropping stems into one container, leaves into another. Efficient. Rhythmic. Not missing one. He had me copy him. After some minutes, when satisfied that I was doing it correctly, he went back to his station, but continued watching me with great intent.
He called me Charlie, because I reminded him of Charlie Chaplin. He took it on himself to turn me into a cook.
The Master had been apprenticed to a Chef at fourteen years old by his father, back in Italy. That Chef had been the cook who made all the stocks during the golden age of Escoffier’s kitchen at the Ritz in Paris. I was truly standing on the shoulders of giants, or were they standing over mine? Either way, it was as close to an old-fashioned apprenticeship as you could get.
Once I had the rhythm down with the parsley, I moved on to washing spinach. I filled the sink, dumped in the spinach, swirled it around with my hands. The water turned cloudy—dirt, I thought. Good. I’m getting it clean. I drained the sink, gave the leaves a quick rinse under the tap, and loaded them into a colander to drain.
“Charlie.”
Oswaldo’s voice was firm, melodic and full of life.
“Charlie, Charlie. What are you doing? You are brute! You are bruising the spinach!”
I had plunged my hand into the cold water to agitate the spinach, just as I’d done with the beans.
“Spinach is not green beans,” he said. “You can’t rush it. The leaves bruise. You have to be gentle. You have to pretend that your hands are made of the same substance as the spinach leaves. Can you do that? Like this.”
He showed me, then let me try, then slapped my hand when I was too tense.
“RELAX. Feel the leaves!”
Following his lead as best I could, I put my hands in the water and moved them like he was swimming—slow, soft circles. Hands completely relaxed. Not agitating. Almost stroking. He repeated over and over until I got it: let them soak for ten minutes, then lift them out gently, drain the sink—now full of sediment—and repeat the process. Second rinse. Third rinse. When he finally lifted a leaf, it was pristine.
“Make your hands like spinach leaves,” he said. “Feel them. Sense them. Then rinse them softly, and lay them down with care to dry.”
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I washed a lot of vegetables at the Ritz. Green beans by the bushel—those you could agitate, shake hard under running water to knock the dirt loose. Leeks by the case—tricky bastards that hid sand between their layers. You had to cut slits down from the top and up from the root, then soak them for what felt like forever. Even then, Oswaldo would find the one leek in the pile that still had grit.
Carrots, onions, artichokes, cardoons—all came through that prep sink in volumes I’d never imagined. Hundred-pound sacks. Fifty-pound bags. We prepped for a hotel kitchen that served hundreds of meals a day, and every vegetable had to be perfect.
Spinach and parsley taught me precision. They require finesse, patience, attention to what you can’t see but know is there. Carrots taught me patience, how to lift heavy objects and to brush with the vegetable brush until all grit was gone. Cardoons and leeks taught me to keep at it despite the strong desire to stop: to take on the difficult jobs and not be afraid or back down from the challenge. And they were all beautiful in their way. And fragrant. I loved it.
Asparagus presented the biggest challenge. They were both delicate and easily bruised, and the heads stubbornly held onto dirt. But when you washed them and trimmed them, then took the vegetable peeler and peeled the last quarter of the stem, the color release was the most beautiful green I have ever seen, until now, fifty years later.
The other cooks were less verbal than Oswaldo. They’d just stand beside you until you got it right. Geniuses with their hands, most of them Europeans who’d come up through apprenticeship like Oswaldo. They didn’t explain much. They showed you, watched you, corrected you. It was a family. Everyone watched everyone else. No one wanted to be the weak link.
And we all knew what was at stake. At other restaurants, when someone got sloppy, they’d say, “What do you think, you’re cooking at the Ritz?” But we were cooking at the Ritz. So instead, they’d ask: “What do you think, you’re cooking for the Pope?”
The standard was that high.
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I got caught out a few more times in those early weeks. Gritty spinach. A leek with sand still tucked in its layers. Each time, it was humiliating. Not because anyone yelled—they rarely did—but because I knew better. I knew what mattered.
Taste. Respect. Pride.
We’d always taste the greens before cooking them, running a leaf between our teeth to check for grit. If you found any, you washed again. No shortcuts. No excuses. The Ritz didn’t serve sandy spinach.
And slowly, my hands learned what my mind couldn’t teach. How much pressure. How long to soak. When to be gentle, when to be firm. The rhythm of it—fill, soak, lift, drain, repeat—until the water ran clear and the leaves were clean.
Chef Fernand Point, one of the greats, once said that success is the result of a lot of little things done correctly. I didn’t know that quote back then, but I lived it every morning in that prep kitchen. Washing spinach. Trimming leeks. Brushing carrots.
Small things. Done right.
There was beauty in it. The colors—deep green spinach, white leek hearts, bright orange carrots. The smells—earthy, fresh, alive. The textures—smooth leaves, rough roots, crisp stems. Working with those vegetables, even in the drudgery of prep, felt like being close to something real.
Oswaldo taught me to wash spinach.
But the spinach taught me patience.
Want to know the best way to wash produce at home—and which vegetables need extra care? Subscribers get access to the following Kitchen Notes with step-by-step methods, pesticide risk charts, and the exact techniques that work in my kitchen today.
KITCHEN NOTES:
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How to Wash Vegetables and Fruit
Washing produce isn’t just about rinsing off dirt—it’s about reducing pesticide residue, removing bacteria, and treating your ingredients with respect. Here’s the method I use at home, updated with current research from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and my own decades of experience.
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WHY WASH?
Even organic produce carries dirt and bacteria. Conventional produce may also have pesticide residues—some of which are systemic (absorbed into the plant tissue) and can’t be washed out completely.
Washing significantly reduces surface contaminants, but no method removes everything. For high-risk items (listed below), buy organic when possible. But don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. The health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables—even conventional ones, properly washed—far outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure.
Wash your produce. Then eat it.
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THE METHOD
What You’ll Need:
• Large bowl or clean sink
• Distilled white vinegar (or baking soda as alternative)
• Optional: Salt (1 tablespoon per gallon for enhanced debris removal)
• Produce brush with natural bristles (the prep cook’s best friend)
• Clean towel or salad spinner
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STEP-BY-STEP:
1. Prep Your Workspace
• Wash your hands thoroughly (20 seconds with soap)
• Clean your sink or bowl
• Remove any visible dirt, damaged spots, or inedible outer layers
2. Choose Your Wash
OPTION A: Vinegar Soak (My Preferred Method)
It can dislodge some bacteria, even from organic vegetables.
• Mix: 1 part distilled white vinegar to 3 parts water
• Optional: Add 1 tablespoon salt per gallon of water
• Soak produce:
- Leafy greens: 10-15 minutes
- Firm produce: 5-10 minutes
• Rinse gently but well. Do not bruise. Soft flowing water for leafy greens.
OPTION B: Baking Soda Soak
• Mix: 1 teaspoon baking soda per cup of water
• Soak 5-10 minutes, less for berries, which usually have residues and dirt on them, but are easily bruised, and the flavor of vinegar can be absorbed.
• (Some research suggests baking soda may be slightly more effective for certain pesticides)
OPTION C: Water Only
• If good clean, pesticide-free vegetables from a source you know, like your own garden, lucky you or vinegar/baking soda aren’t available
• Soak 10-15 minutes in plain tap water. Rinse gently but well.
3. Agitate
• For sturdy items (green beans, snap peas): Swish vigorously with your hands to dislodge dirt
• For delicate items (spinach, lettuce, berries): Gentle movement only—the leaves bruise
4. Rinse
• Lift produce out of the soaking water (don’t pour out—let dirt settle at bottom)
• Rinse under running tap water for at least 20 seconds
• Firm produce (carrots, potatoes): Scrub with brush
• Delicate items: Gentle rotation under water
• Waxed produce (apples, cucumbers, peppers): Extra scrubbing needed to remove wax coating
5. Dry
• Remove excess water by draining on a clean towel or gently in a salad spinner
• Thorough drying prevents bacterial growth and extends shelf life
6. Clean Up
• Wash your sink or bowl immediately after each use
• Prevents cross-contamination
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WHICH PRODUCE NEEDS EXTRA CARE?
🔴 HIGH-RISK (Find Organic or Wash Rigorously)
These carry the highest pesticide residues. Some pesticides are systemic (absorbed into the plant) and cannot be washed out completely.
Top Offenders:
• Strawberries
• Bell peppers (pimentão)
• Spinach
• Kale/Collards (couve)
• Apples
• Grapes
• Celery
• Tomatoes
• Potatoes
• Lettuce (alface)
• Cucumbers
• Carrots
• Peaches
• Peanuts (the worst—buy organic or avoid)
For these: Buy organic when possible. If buying conventional, use vinegar or baking soda soak religiously.
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🟡 MODERATE RISK (Wash with Vinegar)
These can contain pesticides but at lower levels:
• Broccoli
• Cantaloupe
• Nectarines
• Leeks
• Okra
• Pears
• Plums
For these: Vinegar or baking soda soak recommended.
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🟢 LOWER RISK (Wash for Bacteria/Surface Residue)
These typically have lower pesticide residues, but still need washing for bacteria and dirt:
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Corn
• Mushrooms
• Oranges
• Papayas
• Peas
• Watermelon
• Zucchini
For these: Plain water soak is often sufficient, but vinegar doesn’t hurt.
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🧴 WAXED PRODUCE (Special Handling)
Many fruits and vegetables are coated with wax to extend shelf life. Water alone won’t remove it—you need vinegar and scrubbing.
Commonly waxed:
• Apples
• Cucumbers
• Bell peppers
• Eggplants
• Lemons/Limes
• Melons (cantaloupe, honeydew)
• Citrus fruits
Method: Spray or soak with vinegar solution, then scrub with brush or cloth. Rinse thoroughly.
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PRODUCE-SPECIFIC TECHNIQUES
LEAFY GREENS (Spinach, Lettuce, Kale, Chard)
These are tricky. They bruise easily, but they also hide dirt and grit in their folds.
The Ritz Method:
• Fill sink or large bowl with cold water
• Lower leaves in gently—don’t dump
• Soak 10-15 minutes (longer for spinach, which hides more grit)
• Move your hands slowly through the water—”make your hands like the leaves,” as Oswaldo taught me
• Lift leaves out gently
• Drain sink, check for sediment
• Repeat if water was dirty
• Always taste a leaf before cooking to check for grit
Common mistake: Rushing. If you agitate too hard, you bruise the leaves and they turn slimy.
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LEEKS
Dirt hides between the layers. You have to give water a way in.
Method:
• Trim root end and dark green top
• Cut lengthwise slits from the top (like making confetti)
• Cut slits up from the root end
• Soak in cold water for 15-20 minutes (dirt is heavy, settles to bottom)
• Rinse under running water, spreading layers to check
• Repeat if needed
Even after all this, there may be one leek with dirt still hiding. Check carefully.
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GREEN BEANS
These are sturdy. You can be more aggressive.
Method:
• Rinse in ample running cold water
• Agitate vigorously with your hands to knock dirt loose
• No need for long soaking unless visibly dirty
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ASPARAGUS
Delicate and stubborn. The heads hold onto dirt, and the stalks bruise easily.
Method:
• Soak gently in cold water for 5-10 minutes
• Rinse carefully, paying attention to the tight buds on the tips
• Trim the tough bottom ends
• Optional (for peak color): Peel the bottom quarter of each stalk with a vegetable peeler—this releases a vibrant green color and ensures even cooking
• Pat dry gently
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ROOT VEGETABLES (Carrots, Potatoes, Beets, Turnips)
Scrubbing is essential.
Method:
• Soak in water (with or without vinegar) for 5-10 minutes to loosen dirt
• Scrub with natural bristle brush under running water
• Pay attention to crevices and eyes (potatoes)
• Dry thoroughly
Pro tip: A good stiff natural bristle brush is the prep cook’s best friend. Buy one, keep it clean, use it often.
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BERRIES
Delicate. Handle with care.
Method:
• Quick 5-minute soak in vinegar solution (they absorb water quickly)
• Lift out gently—don’t pour
• Drain carefully to avoid crushing
• Pat dry very gently
• Wash right before eating (washing too early accelerates spoilage)
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PRODUCE WITH INEDIBLE PEELS (Avocados, Melons, Citrus)
You might think: “Why wash if I’m not eating the peel?”
Because when you cut through the peel, you drag surface bacteria (and pesticides) into the edible part.
Method:
• Rinse or scrub the outside before cutting
• For melons: scrub with brush and vinegar solution
• For avocados: quick rinse under water
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WHAT NOT TO USE
❌ Soap or detergent — Leaves residue, not food-safe
❌ Bleach — Toxic, unsafe for food
❌ Commercial produce washes — Expensive, no proven advantage over vinegar or baking soda
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TIMING & STORAGE
When to wash: Right before eating or cooking—not before storage.
Why: Washing removes the natural protective coating on produce, which accelerates spoilage. Moisture also promotes bacterial growth.
Storage after washing:
• Dry thoroughly
• Store in breathable container (not sealed plastic)
• Place clean, dry towel in container to absorb excess moisture
• Change towel if it gets damp
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THE REALITY CHECK
No washing method removes all pesticide residues, especially systemic pesticides that are absorbed into the plant tissue during growth. For high-risk produce, organic is the safest choice.
But here’s what matters most: Eating fruits and vegetables—even conventional ones, properly washed—is far healthier than avoiding them out of fear.
Wash what you have. Do the best you can. Then eat your vegetables.
Because small things, done correctly, add up to something good.
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SOURCES:
• Environmental Working Group (EWG), “Guide to Washing Produce” (2025)
• ANVISA (Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency)
• “Diet for a Poisoned Planet” by David Steinman
• CDC, FDA, and HHS food safety guidelines
For me, even with organic, unless I know the farm and whether the neighbors use pesticides or buy fertilizers. If so, I wash well. Have been on too many farms.
Oh dear I’m doing it all wrong.