Leeks are an essential ingredient to hearty soups and stews but a simple rinse under a faucet doest cut it because they are often grown in a mixture of soil and sand. The sand falls down through the tops of the leeks and gets stuck between the folds which means you'll need to take extra care to wash it out. But it's not as hard as it seems.
Chop your leeks into rounds like so. You may also slice the leeks lengthwise down the middle before chopping to produce half moons depending on your liking.
Fill a large bowl with warm water, add your leeks and use your hands to separate the layers while swishing clean water through them. The sand will fall to the bottom of the bowl and the leeks will float.
Remove the leeks using a strainer and place in a colander to drain for 5 minutes. Now you're ready to cook!!
I seriously never would have thought to rinse them so thoroughly ... I would have ended up crunching on sand :( Thanks a lot!
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