Stupid Question, Why Wash Veg before Boiling?
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It is only in recent years that instructions for cooking everything, including fresh veg, has been put on the wrapping. But if they are being boiled surely that washes and purifies them?
Same with rice. All my life i have measured it into the boiling water but recently found out you have to rinse it first! Am I missing something?
With veg i think it makes sense to wash before boiling as the dirt will go into the water and may go back onto the veg during draining.
With rice i always thought rinsing it was to get ride of some of the starch.
jms19 your first point makes sense, though I doubt I would do it for veg that I peel. Come to think of it I usually do that over a bowl of water and swish them around. Always wash potatoes for jackets as I eat the skin.
I must admit AFTER cooking I always rinse rice and pasta with a kettle full of boiling water.
There are probably a lot of things we do wrong in our lives but like you say it goes into boiling water and has it ever made you ill?
My husband asked the exact same question. Always best to rinse veg as there could be dead flies or spiders on the veg.
I always wash veg even after I’ve peeled them, as I think whatever dirt or pesticides can still be on the peeler and then on the veg.
Uncle Roger would be horrified at the way you cook rice! 
snoogans888 oooh that looked a bit stodgy mine's at least fluffy and separate lol. I don't think I will rush out to buy a rice cooker
Lynibis different types of rice have different textures. Asians tend to eat the type that is more sticky so it’s easier to eat with chopsticks 
I know some people have a preference for Uncle Ben’s rather than Uncle Roger’s type of rice.
Kitty10 Uncle Roger is the persona created by Malaysian comedian Nigel Ng. He started making YouTube videos of him reacting to people making a mess of cooking rice and then progressed into taking the mickey out of Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver. He’s now pretty famous and has appeared on Gordon Ramsay’s TV show.
Most vegetables have been sprayed with pesticides and potentially there are insects in some. I have always cleaned mine before steaming. Steaming is better than boiling - the loss of nutrients boiling vegetables results in a higher rate of the nutrients being drawn out of the vegetable and lost into the boiling water. Steaming preserves more of the nutrients 
Omg...are you joking...you need to rinse your veg and fruit before eating...have you tried soaking your vegetables the night before wanting them and watching the amount of grime is in the water...no wonder people are ill.
a lot of our veg is organic so wont have most of the harmful chemicals, but I must admit on the few occasions I cook veg, I never wash it! far too lazy for things like that. Dont peel potatoes or anything like that either. If the spuds are really muddy still I rinse them, very quickly under the tap for a few seconds but thats it. Probably just as well I dont cook that much really!
I don't wash veg that I have peeled, but will give others a quick rinse. I always wash rice. I put it into a measuring up, fill with water, stir, and then rinse. When I put the jugundee the tap to rinse I put the water to the back and on low so that the rice doesn't come out. The water in the jug goes white so I rinse till it goes clear, usually takes 3 stirs and rinses.
Like someone above says you not know what germs may be on veg and unless you buy organic they will have pesticides and other nasties on them. Boiling may get rid but seems a safer bet to wash off first.
My OH has a large allotment plot & so alot of our veg now comes from there, so I always wash it. I will clean & wash initally & then a quick rinse again when comes to using. I rarely peel veg, too lazy!
I will admit I rarely wash bought veg, especially root veg. I do always rinse salad items tho.
Iv never heard of anyone dying from unwashed veg tho so don't feel its a biggie if you don't
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