Your Fruit May Not Be As Clean As You Think

Germaphobes, take note: An article in the Journal of Food Science recently reported that rough-surfaced fruits, such as peaches, require more diligent cleaning than smooth-surfaced varieties, like apples. Author Hao Feng, Ph.D., offers these tips:

Blasts of water applied at high velocity (vigorous towel-wiping not necessary) get rid of 90 percent of possible bacteria on fruit.

Impurities on the skins of pineapple and citrus fruit can trickle into the meat as you cut them, so wash and dry the entire fruit before slicing.

Let berries soak for a minute in tepid water treated with a dash of salt, then rinse well before patting dry.