A while back I realized that the cheap scrubbing-mitts I kept in the shower might do for root veggies what they do for my post-garden-work-Hobbit feet: get the dirt off.
I bought a pair for kitchen use and put them to work.
Here’s how they fared against purple potatoes and sunchokes fresh out of the ground and in need of a scrubbing.
Before:
Big win. This is a fast, efficient way to deal with cleaning root veggies. Both hands are doing the scrubbing, so any relatively smooth tuber or root just needs to be swiped around between your palms to be cleaned, and it’s easy to judge when to scrub more or less firmly.
I like that I can toss these mitts into the wash with my kitchen towels and a little bleach and sanitize them. I also like that I don’t get “scrub brush gripping claw hand” when I’m tackling a large pile of potatoes or parsnips in need of cleaning. Weird folds or divots may still need long bristles to get fully clean, or you can just cut those parts of the veggie out.
These exfoliating gloves can usually be found in dollar stores, drug stores, etc. for a buck or two – way less than an actual vegetable scrub brush.
The only downside is the (ahem) suggestive motion that occurs when one is scrubbing a carrot or parsnip. If one were to share kitchen space with a particularly gutter-minded spouse, partner or roommate, certain comments might have to be endured in pursuit of a clean carrot.