Wash citrus fruit in the dishwasher?

October 5, 2018 5:13 PM

Can I wash (without soap) a bunch of citrus fruit in the dishwasher to get to of wax, chemicals, etc, before using them in vodka infusions, or is this a bad idea?
posted by J0 to Food & Drink (11 answers total)

If you don't mind them getting cooked in the hot water. (if you do try it, make sure to turn off the drying cycle)
posted by cfraenkel at 5:22 PM on October 5, 2018 [3 favorites]

Like with soap?

Regardless if you can't get organic citrus or at least unwaxed citrus, the normal way to remove wax is a quick dip in boiling water.

You don't want to over do it though as the oil in the skin is the bulk of the flavor you are trying to extract with the alcohol.
posted by JPD at 5:25 PM on October 5, 2018 [6 favorites]

So, that'll (probably) get the wax and other stuff off the surface of your citrus, but it's a lot of time at that kind of heat for citrus. It'll probably degrade the oils in weird (and potentially less-tasty ways).

My usual trick is to boil a bunch of water, pour it over my citrus and and scrub them once they cool off.
posted by Making You Bored For Science at 5:25 PM on October 5, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: This is a bad idea.
posted by Countess Sandwich at 5:35 PM on October 5, 2018 [38 favorites]

Best answer: There's always still a lot of dishwasher detergent leftover in there. I'd just scrub them with a vegetable brush under running water, and some vinegar or produce wash if you want to go all out.
posted by nantucket at 5:44 PM on October 5, 2018 [6 favorites]

Nah, just get a regular sponge with a scrubby side and go ahead and use a little dish soap if you want, then rinse.

It's fine, the wax is just a small layer.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 5:48 PM on October 5, 2018 [1 favorite]

Food grade paraffin is completely safe and harmless to ingest in small quantities btw. I also think this is likely to degrade your infusion quality and hold no real benefit compared to a quick dip in boiling water and light hand was.

I mean if you’re making 20 gallons of orange vodka by yourself and don’t mind a small hit to flavor to save a person hour or so, then sure go for it. But I’d personally only consider it for high volume, ymmv.
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:52 PM on October 5, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Yeah, definitely don't do this. If your fruit is organic or you're not real concerned about pesticides, just put 'em all in a colander in the sink and dump a stock pot full of boiling water on 'em, then rinse with cold water and dry with paper towels. That'll take care of the wax. I've heard people say they'll microwave large quantities citrus for ~10sec to melt off wax, but have not tried this method myself.
posted by halation at 5:54 PM on October 5, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Maybe fill the sink or a bowl with warm soapy water, put the fruits in there, then rinse them... I think the dishwasher would probably be too harsh, as everyone above is indicating.
posted by amtho at 6:15 PM on October 5, 2018

Best answer: No. Actual scientists say that at most you should only rinse lemons. And, while we are on the subject, here is a freebie-- the scientifically proven most effective way to rinse apples.
posted by seasparrow at 7:40 PM on October 5, 2018 [3 favorites]

Not all the chemicals wash off.
posted by Standard Orange at 1:00 AM on October 6, 2018 [1 favorite]