The Absolute Best Way To Wash Grapes

Washing produce is a cooking step many folks are tempted to skip, but the experts who say it's necessary aren't lying. Your produce may have picked up bugs or bacteria, either in the soil itself or en route to the supermarket. These risks include E. coli, listeria, and salmonella, and according to the CDC, almost half of food-borne illnesses in the U.S. come from fresh produce.

A good rinse is especially important for fruits and veggies with edible skin, and that goes double for grapes. They're commonly included on the Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen list of pesticide-laden produce (raisins don't exactly shine in this department, either). Luckily, the best way to wash grapes is also the easiest, requiring just one ingredient: water. All you have to do is rinse your grapes in cold, running water for about 15 to 20 seconds, rubbing lightly to loosen any clinging dirt. Then simply pat them dry.

You may have encountered tips for more elaborate treatments before, like using baking soda to wash your grapes. This likely won't cause you any harm, but it might not be totally necessary. Let's dig into more best practices for serving grapes at their cleanest.

First, here's what not to do: Don't use soaps or detergents to wash grapes (or any other produce). Those products could linger on the produce's skin, and you don't want to ingest them. Here's what you should do, even before you start washing: Make sure your hands are clean and that any surfaces the produce might touch — like the kitchen sink — have also been thoroughly sanitized.

As for the previously mentioned baking soda solution, research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry demonstrated that this is only slightly more effective than rinsing with water alone, so you're welcome to skip this step. Still, it won't hurt you if you do it correctly. (In general, baking soda is a miracle cleaner with many other applications in the kitchen.) After mixing a solution of 1 teaspoon of baking soda for every 2 cups of water, submerge the grapes and swish them around gently before soaking them for up to 15 minutes. Any longer and the skin will start breaking down. Then just rinse and dry as usual.

One more tip to keep in mind for grapes and other delicate fruits: Though you might want to wash them as soon as you get home from the store, resist that urge — any lingering moisture on their skin will hasten their decomposition. Instead, keep them in the fridge without washing. Then, when you're ready to eat them, simply wash as many as you need. Now that your grapes are clean, check out our guide for washing all kinds of fruits and veggies.