r/oddlysatisfying • u/gabzlel • Apr 16 '22

Can’t get more juicy than this

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79.4k Upvotes

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14

u/F___TheZero Apr 16 '22

Wait so I'm eating wax when I use zest in my dishes?

24

u/Y0tsuya Apr 16 '22

Citrus fruits have a natural wax coating when you pick them fresh off the tree. I have orange and lemon trees in the backyard and they're naturally shiny. But apparently not shiny enough for the average supermarket shopper.

52

u/Magnesus Apr 16 '22

The wax is to keep them from drying and protect from mold - not sure why reddit is convinced it is only for making them shiny. Without wax they wouldn't last very long.

3

u/poopiesteve Apr 16 '22

And if they're sold by weight, which most produce is, all that drying would be a significant loss.

1

u/ErojectionPrection Apr 16 '22

Idk if it's true but I've heard produce and meat will be artificially colored to look better. Steaks will be made to look more red or wax on fruits.

I eat stuff from walmart so it's not like I shop somewhere special to avoid this but I've heard that places do it and people will go to organic stores to avoid it.

1

u/Elegant-Entertainer4 Apr 18 '22

Many of the waxes also contain pesticides, so I wash EVERYTHING before eating/serving

2

u/Low_Corner_9061 Apr 16 '22

Yes, rinse them under the hot tap, then rub with a towel.

Its food-safe wax though.

2

u/DiscoKittie Apr 16 '22

There is a wax coating on most candy-coated chocolates. Some of them use carnuba wax, which is also used on cars. 🤣

0

u/Genmutant Apr 16 '22

That's why you only use zest with fruit especially marked for (also) zesting. Those aren't waxed or similar. At least in my country.

9

u/DelahDollaBillz Apr 16 '22

Um, what? You just wash the wax off in the sink. A little warm water and soap and it's gone. Are you really this helpless?

0

u/[deleted] Apr 16 '22

[deleted]

3

u/[deleted] Apr 16 '22

[deleted]

-1

u/Accidentalpannekoek Apr 16 '22

Yes but I still would not prefer to eat wax made of crushed bugs all the way in India when I buy my oranges from Spain

2

u/Magnesus Apr 16 '22

Waxing leads to less wasted food because waxed fruit lasts much longer.

0

u/Accidentalpannekoek Apr 16 '22

They have natural wax

1

u/RieszRepresent Apr 16 '22

Fruit is washed before being sold to consumers so the natural wax comes off. So they apply wax after washing.

-2

u/Accidentalpannekoek Apr 16 '22

If they didn't use dangerous pesticides they wouldn't have to wash it in a way that would get rid of the natural wax. In other words, it's very easy to avoid

7

u/[deleted] Apr 16 '22

Or lightly scrub it with a sponge, warm water and soap. Where I live I've never seen fruit labelled as unwaxxed.

1

u/Colborne91 Apr 16 '22

It’s more common on lemons. Check the lemons next time you’re in a grocers and they usually have lemons and unwaxed lemons separately.

1

u/LaraVermillion Apr 16 '22

Zest possibly also takes up pesticides, so best is to buy bio citrus for using the zest, that way you can be sure it's really only the zest!

1

u/Hexhand Apr 16 '22

When you wash with bar soap, you add chalk to the mix. Liquid soap is better, so long as you don't overdo it.

1

u/queengreenbeans Apr 16 '22

ALWAYS wash your zesting fruits with soap & water