Why It's Important To Rinse Canned Hearts Of Palm Before Cooking Them

An excellent vegan meat substitute and a tasty vegetable for omnivores of all stripes, canned hearts of palm are a hearty, refreshing, and surprisingly versatile ingredient. Sourced from the inner core of palm trees, these toothsome veggies are a great addition to salads, charcuterie boards, soups, and stews and can even be transformed into a plant-based calamari dupe. Hearts of palm are typically sold either canned or jarred — like plenty of other foods, canned is just as good as fresh — which makes them as easy to work with as they are to eat. Despite their convenience, though, there's one small preparation step you shouldn't skip: rinsing them.

Rinsing your hearts of palm before adding them to your favorite recipes has less to do with food safety (like these everyday food safety mistakes you should avoid) and more to do with quality concerns. Although it is safe to eat hearts of palm directly from the can, their flavor and texture are best after a quick rinse. Hearts of palm are sold in brine — a solution made from water and salt — to preserve their freshness and extend their shelf life. However, the sodium-rich canning liquid can disrupt the characteristically bright taste of the vegetable and leave behind a slimy texture that's less than appealing. By rinsing them, you can reduce the sodium content by up to 23% (via USDA) and prevent your recipe from taking on a brackish flavor while restoring the vegetable's naturally fresh quality.

The appeal of canned food hinges on its convenience. Luckily, rinsing canned hearts of palm doesn't make the process of cooking them any more complicated. There's no need to go above and beyond, so keep the special veggie wash under the sink and save it for dirtier produce.

To effectively remove excess sodium from canned hearts of palm, remove the stalks from the can and place them in a colander or fine mesh strainer to support them while rinsing. If you're only using a portion of the can, transfer any leftovers to an air-tight container and store them in the refrigerator. If you're using a full portion, you can dump the entire can into the strainer or colander to drain the liquid. Run the hearts of palm under cool water for at least 30 seconds, gently shaking the strainer or rotating the stalks to expose their entire surface area to the water. Pat them dry with a clean tea towel or paper towel, and get to cooking!

You're more likely to enjoy a homemade meal when you're in control of the salt balance. To get the most out of a recipe featuring canned or jarred hearts of palm, a quick rinse will give you the freshest flavor.