How to clean broccoli the right way

Broccoli is a very healthy vegetable rich in antioxidants like vitamin C and beta carotene. It is also an easy-to-prepare food that can delight both young and old. However, consumers are better to clean broccoli thoroughly before eating them, whether in raw or cooked form.

Remove leaves and blemishes

The first thing you need to do is remove the leaves and trim and peel the stalk. If there are any fibrous or coarse areas, cut them away with a paring knife because bacteria can have thrived in these parts.

Clean broccoli with saltwater

Broccoli is commonly infected with aphids and cabbage worms, which are small pale green caterpillars with pointy heads and tails. In order to remove these and other insects and worms, you need to soak the broccoli for 5-10 minutes in cold saltwater with a ratio of 1 teaspoon of salt to 1 quart of water. Make sure to sink your broccoli thoroughly, or at least soak it with the florets facing down. When the broccoli sits in water, you may notice the worms get loose and float to the top. Just scoop them out with a slotted spoon or sieve. After the soak, the broccoli might have some salt stuck to it. Rinse the broccoli under running water, and use your hands to rub the vegetable over the top and the sides of the stalks.

Use a vinegar solution

A vinegar solution can provide extra protection against bacteria, so if you’re not sure whether the broccoli has been totally cleaned, just use it. The ratio is 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water, which is appropriate to remove up to 98 percent of bacteria on fresh produce. Place the broccoli in the solution, swirl the broccoli a few times to loosen any large debris, and then leave the vegetable for 15-20 minutes. Make sure not to soak it too long, as that will make it lose too much water-soluble nutrients. After that, rinse it with cold running water.

Dry the broccoli

The last step is to dry broccoli. Use a clean cloth or paper towels to remove any lingering bacteria or water which can make it limp and moldy and breed more bacteria in the fridge. If you are going to use all the broccoli after washing, just cut it, leaving it on disinfected, dry surfaces.