A Detroit-area chef has an easy remedy for pesticide-laden fruit. All you need is a common household cleaner and a little bit of time.
The scoop
Chef Mike Nassar shared a now-viral TikTok video on the Detroit 75 Kitchen account (@detroit75kitchen) explaining his easy way to rid fruit and veggies of contaminants.
@detroit75kitchen #freshfruit #pesticidefree #kitchenhacks #kitchenhacksthatwork #kitchenhacks101 #kitchenhackswow ♬ original sound - Detroit 75 Kitchen
"For any adult that's running a household, you need to know this," Nassar begins. "Fruits and vegetables come sprayed with pesticides, this is how to get rid of it the proper way."
Nassar's approach involves adding a few teaspoons of baking soda to a bowl of strawberries. He then adds cold tap water and lets the strawberries soak for at least 15 minutes.
"Look at this guys, it dramatically cleans all of the pesticides, all of the dirt," Nassar remarks. The strawberries do look far more pristine than when he started the process.
The final step is to drain the fruit, wash it again, and then put the clean fruit in an airtight container.
Perk up the winter blues with natural, hemp-derived gummies Camino's hemp-derived gummies naturally support balance and recovery without disrupting your routine, so you can enjoy reliable, consistent dosing without guesswork or habit-forming ingredients. Flavors like sparkling pear for social events and tropical-burst for recovery deliver a sophisticated, elevated taste experience — and orchard peach for balance offers everyday support for managing stress while staying clear-headed and elevated.
Learn more → |
"There you go, no more pesticides for your family," Nassar concludes.
How it's helping
Using baking soda not only effectively breaks down pesticides but also saves time and money. Baking soda is cheap and already on hand for many homeowners, and mere fruit washing is not fully sufficient in removing pesticides, per a recent study.
Produce washes, on the other hand, can be pricey and potentially feature chemicals. That would somewhat defeat the purpose of pesticide removal.
Using baking soda also saves you from buying a product likely packaged in plastic. That only helps in combating plastic packaging's major role in the plastic pollution crisis.
TCD Picks » Upway Spotlight
💡Upway makes it easy to find discounts of up to 60% on premium e-bike brands
|
What's the most you'd pay per month to put solar panels on your roof if there was no down payment?
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
$200 or more 💰 Of course, the biggest goal of the hack is to cut down on your household's pesticide consumption. While pesticides are a critical tool for farmers to protect their crops, they are linked to various health issues, including heightened risk of cancer and diabetes.
When it comes to apples, they might also be covered in PFAs, or forever chemicals. Ingestion of those is another major risk for consumers. Nassar's hack can greatly reduce your exposure to these hazards, with time being the biggest investment of all.
What everyone's saying
Many commenters were receptive to Nassar's hack, and others had jokes or alternative methods.
"That is a rare video of somebody who cares for humans," one wrote.
A user shared an alternative hack: "I use vinegar and water, soak for 5-10 minutes, let air dry and place in glass container, strawberries last up to 2 weeks with NO mold!"
"But pesticides is flavor," a viewer joked.
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices — and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD's exclusive Rewards Club.
Cool Picks
