Helen Gurrera, President of NYC's Citarella gourmet markets, stopped by the show to share her favorite produce-related tips.
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As it turns out, there is actually a right way to wash your berries.
"Berries grow close to the ground," Helen says. "Especially strawberries — they have super porous skin — and what happens when we don't wash them properly [is] they'll get moldy quickly."
To prevent this from happening, you want to do more than just wash off any excess dirt, she says. After you give berries that initial water rinse, Helen says you should dip them in one part white vinegar and three parts water.
Use a colander rather than a bowl — because the goal is to dip the berries, not soak them — and swirl them around. (But again, be sure not to soak them!)
"The soaking is going to get the vinegar flavor in that porous skin," Helen explains.
After you've dipped and swirled, just pop your berries back in the fridge until you're ready to eat them. Simple enough!
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Watch Helen demonstrate this technique in the video above.
