Slice Your Bok Choy In Half For Better Cleaning

For some people, one of the biggest deterrents to selecting new produce to try is the intimidation of having to clean and prepare an unfamiliar ingredient. Understanding the best ways to go about ingredient prep can take away these fears and open a larger selection of delicious food to enjoy. An easy, potentially unfamiliar, ingredient you can learn to cook with is the vegetable bok choy. Bok choy, also known as Chinese cabbage, is a leafy vegetable that belongs to the mustard family, formally called Brassicaceae. This peppery, fresh vegetable can bring a bright crunch to your dishes and is incredibly easy to prepare. To get a better cleaning of your bok choy, slice it in half before you wash it. This allows you to clean between all the nooks and crannies of the vegetable.

Dirt typically gathers and rests at the bottom of bok choy stalks, slicing the vegetable in half gives you better access to gently peel the leaves back and wash out the dirt. To get a thorough clean you can swish the bok choy around in a bowl of cool water to help loosen up any other dirt that may be clinging to the vegetable. To help further remove pesticides and bacteria, add a few tablespoons of salt to the water to clean vegetables. You can rinse your veggies again after this soak to remove the salty flavor and wash off any last contaminants.

Similar to choosing other produce, when selecting bok choy you'll want to look for produce that is bright in color and appears appetizing at first glance. Bok choy should have a bright green color similar to Brussels sprouts and broccoli. Stay away from bok choy that has browning or yellowing leaves. When you feel your bok choy the stems should be firm and crisp, similar in feel to a good cabbage. The stems can range in color from bright white to pale green. Your bok choy should be free of holes and have strong leaves that aren't showing signs of wilting.

When you bring your bok choy home, refrain from washing it until you're ready to use as additional moisture can cause the vegetable to go bad early. You can store bok choy by wrapping it in a lightly moistened towel and placing it in a ziploc bag or tupperware until you are ready to use it. Bok choy will keep around three to four days raw in the fridge so try to use it up before it begins to go bad.