Don't Skip Sorting Grains and Legumes
Even packaged lentils, chickpeas and beans can contain a small stone, a broken grain or dust residue. Spreading them on a wide tray and sorting through by hand to remove stones and debris is a simple step that is easy to skip but stops a stone from ending up in the finished dish.
After sorting, rinsing legumes in a colander under running water clears away dust from processing and any leftover insect debris; rinsing until the water runs clear is enough.
Practical Tip
You do not need to wait for the water to run completely clear when rinsing rice; 2-3 rinses is enough to remove excess starch, and over-rinsing can strip away some of its nutritional value.
Clean Leafy Herbs in Layers
Leafy herbs like parsley and dill hold onto soil and sand, so they need a two-stage wash rather than one: first soaking and swishing in a large bowl of water, then rinsing under running water in a colander. Seeing sand settle at the bottom of that first bowl proves the first wash was necessary.
Head lettuces should be separated leaf by leaf and the inner side of each leaf checked too; soil tends to collect near the base close to the stem.
Greens that look clean on the surface can still be hiding sand underneath. Sorting is confirmed by changing the water, not by looking at it.
What to Check When Sorting Meat and Fish
Colour and smell are the first checks when picking meat or mince: red meat should sit between bright and dark red, and any grey-green patch or sharp smell means it should not be used. In fish, bright, full eyes and gills that stay red are signs of freshness.
Checking a fillet for scales, fins and any remaining bones stops a bone catching in someone's mouth while eating; running a fingertip over the fillet to feel for bones takes a few seconds but is a step worth taking.
Separate the Bruised or Spoiled Part of a Vegetable
If only part of a vegetable has gone bad, you do not need to throw the whole thing out; cutting away generously around the spoiled spot (at least 1-2 cm past it) is usually enough, since mould and rot can spread a little further than what is visible. Soft, juicy fruit like strawberries or peaches, though, spoil faster all the way through, so discarding the whole piece is the safer call there.
If a potato or onion has started sprouting, cut away the sprout itself, but the rest of the vegetable is usually still fine to use; a potato that has turned green under the skin can carry a bitter compound called solanine, so that part should be peeled away thickly.
Move Sorted Ingredients Into Proper Storage
If sorted, washed ingredients will not be used right away, pat them dry with paper towel and store them in an airtight container in the fridge; leafy greens left wet start rotting within a few hours.