About 10 years ago I started seeing commercial food cleaners in the produce section. As with all my cleaning products I use, I thought, how is that safe? Really, a chemical to "clean" my food so I can ingest it? Then I thought, why does my food need to be so clean to eat...well that dug into another path and resulted in my switching to organic if the budget could afford it.
So, I dug through my many books and found solution after solution. Some were complicated and some were not....some where a pain to even attempt but I tried them all and found a couple I actually liked but the one I picked happened to be the simplest.
Then about 3 years ago I was reading a Cook's Illustrated article, as I love America's Test Kitchen, and they tested a few options and turns out a very similar solution to my own killed 98% of all bacteria on fruits and veggies!
So what is it? The answer of course is vinegar! It's cheap, natural and kills 99.9% of all bacteria! It is the universal cleaner.
Personally, as someone who juices regularly, the more important it is to me to make sure what I'm drinking in large amounts is "clean". I recommend everyone try it and you might be amazed what you see come off those leafy greens that you think are getting clean with some basic water :)
To wash soft fruits or something quickly like grapes, cherries, plums, peaches etc...
Spray with 1 part vinegar and 3 parts water, let sit anywhere from 2 minutes to 10, rinse and you're done.
To wash leafy greens, beets, carrots, celery, bell peppers, apples, pears, really anything soakable...
Fill a bowl or clean kitchen sink with 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. Let sit about 2 - 10 minutes and rinse and you're done.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Grape Juice - ALDI Natures Nectar vs. Welch's
Oh how I love grape juice and I do mean LOVE IT...and not just any old grape juice, Welch's! It's truly the only grape juice I've ever bought and I buy it bottled. I'm such a snob about my grape juice I won't even make it from concentrate!
However, in my serious penny pinching state and my new love for ALDI, I ventured out of my secure bubble in a recent trip. I saw their brand, Nature's Nectar, on sale for a whopping $2.69 for 64 ounces! This is a great deal I thought. Especially since the cheapest place I can find Welch's is at Walmart and it nears $4 bucks and coupons for the 100% juice are few and far between. So with a little trepidation I put it in the cart.
How do these identical products measure up?
I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Could this be disguised as Welch's? No. Keep in mind, I've gone 30 years and only drank Welch's.
The flavor was good and the quality of the product is a worthy rival for those of you who aren't as snobby about grape juice as I am. Welch's has a very strong and dynamic flavor that stays with you long after you've finished as well as a thicker type consistency. Both of these points are irrelevant if you simply want a great quality juice for 4 cents an ounce....yes, you read that right.
I would buy it again but I will still continue to hope for $1.00 coupons and buy Welch's when I can. It does make me wonder if I should consider trying the Walmart Great Value brand which I think sells for around 3 bucks for the size container. Maybe a future post!
However, in my serious penny pinching state and my new love for ALDI, I ventured out of my secure bubble in a recent trip. I saw their brand, Nature's Nectar, on sale for a whopping $2.69 for 64 ounces! This is a great deal I thought. Especially since the cheapest place I can find Welch's is at Walmart and it nears $4 bucks and coupons for the 100% juice are few and far between. So with a little trepidation I put it in the cart.
How do these identical products measure up?
I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Could this be disguised as Welch's? No. Keep in mind, I've gone 30 years and only drank Welch's.
The flavor was good and the quality of the product is a worthy rival for those of you who aren't as snobby about grape juice as I am. Welch's has a very strong and dynamic flavor that stays with you long after you've finished as well as a thicker type consistency. Both of these points are irrelevant if you simply want a great quality juice for 4 cents an ounce....yes, you read that right.
I would buy it again but I will still continue to hope for $1.00 coupons and buy Welch's when I can. It does make me wonder if I should consider trying the Walmart Great Value brand which I think sells for around 3 bucks for the size container. Maybe a future post!
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