Hy-Vee Recipes and Ideas

It's important to wash your greens before adding them to a salad. Simply separate the leaves, place them in cool water, and swirl them around gently. Any dirt will fall to the bottom of the bowl. When ready to dry, use a salad spinner or place an even layer of greens on top of paper towels and pat with a top layer of paper towels.

Placing mushrooms under running water causes them to lose flavor. Instead, use a damp paper towel to lightly brush the mushroom clean. 

Store unwashed berries in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. When ready to eat, place berries in a colander and rinse with cold water. If you rinse them before you're ready to eat them, they will likely go bad quicker.

Before cleaning, slice the leek into the desired thickness. Place the sliced leeks into a bowl filled with cool water. Swirl leeks around the bowl and allow the dirt to fall to the bottom of the bowl. Remove leeks from bowl and pat dry with paper towels.

Wash potatoes under running water. Using a textured brush or your hands to scrub the skin of the potatoes and remove any dirt; peel with a vegetable peeler, if desired.

It's important to wash the skin of the melon to make sure any dirt on the outside does not come in contact with the fruit on the inside. Wash the melon under cool running water and scrub dirt off the skin with your fingertips. Pat dry with a paper towel before slicing.

Run squashes (butternut, spaghetti, acorn, zucchini, and summer) under cool running water; using your fingers to remove any built up dirt. Pat dry with a paper towel before peeling and/or slicing your squash.

Do not wash fresh ginger under water. Use a spoon to peel the ginger. The spoon works to take off the thin layer of skin while preserving the majority of the root for cooking.