I always wash my fruit before I eat it when I buy it fresh. Recently I've been buying frozen bluberries and honestly I sort of like just eating them straight out of the bag (after letting them sit out for a little bit). But I'm wondering - should I be washing the berries before I eat them? If they were fresh I'd absolutely wash them but I'm unsure if this is necessary for frozen.

  • Barx [none/use name]
    ·
    4 months ago

    I recommend washing all fruits and veggies before consumption. In theory frozen stuff should be relatively safe but I just don't trust companies to not be comically negligent.

    You could always wash and freeze your own berries! Wash em and then freeze in a sealed bag using the straw trick to remove excess air.

    • LibsEatPoop [any]
      ·
      4 months ago

      Frozen berries are way cheaper. It’s why I get them. But I guess I’ll try washing them and then putting in a freezer safe bag from now on.

      • Barx [none/use name]
        ·
        4 months ago

        It's sounds silly to have to wash and refreeze frozen berries but it also just might be a good idea lol

        • LibsEatPoop [any]
          ·
          4 months ago

          Isn’t there some warning on atleast some frozen products to not refreeze them? I wonder if there is on frozen berries…

          So many problems.

          • Barx [none/use name]
            ·
            4 months ago

            So far as I know it's never dangerous to refreeze so long as you're not doing something like sticking a big pot of hot whatever in the freezer (a slow freeze might mean the center is warm long enough for bacteria to proliferare).

            But it can damage texture. Many frozen foods are catefully flash frozen to prevent crystals from breaking up cell walls and so on. Refreezing yourself can form said crystals. So if you freeze, say, cut-up bell-pepper slowly in your freezer it will go floppy when you thaw.

            You can do something close to flash freezing at home using a baking sheet. For berries, spread them out one layer thick and put in the freezer for 2 hours. Then you can transfer them to a bag. They'll store even better if you suck air out if the bag before sealing.

            Most likely you can just wash, then dry, then freeze on a tray, then put back in a bag with no tricks.

            • LibsEatPoop [any]
              ·
              4 months ago

              …all this to avoid the slight chance of norovirus. Life is pain.

              Thanks for the step by step guide, btw. Appreciate it.