I would assume this method works a lot like blanching green beans or asparagus. The quick bath in hot water essentially slows the enzyme production within the berries, therefore allowing them to keep longer. Also, the high heat kills any bacteria within/on the berries.
A while back, the NY Times had a completely counter-intuitive answer to this question: rinse berries in boiling water and then put on paper towels to dry. For some reason they cool almost immediately and they keep longer in the refrigerator with this method.
Eat them in season from a place you trust. Then you don't have to rinse them. Raspberries don't require much by way of pesticides, etc.--or at least they shouldn't. I grow quarts of them organically. Strawberries are a little trickier in terms of their requirements and I typically rinse even local ones. But strawberries can take a rinse much better than soft berries.
Blessed with great seasonal berries here in Portland, if I have a quantity to do, I rinse them gently in a strainer/colander then spin them gently in a paper towel-lined salad spinner. That said, I'm not averse to popping a handful of the unwashed into my mouth with, so far, no ill effects.
If I know where they came from, and it's a nice clean place without air pollution, I don't wash them at all. If not, it's a very gentle rinse, and then I set them out individually to dry on paper towels.
Totally agree with Greenstuff. Rinsing berries has the flavor be diluted. Berries, raspberries and strawberries particularly, have the most pesticides of any fruits or vegetables. They are in the top three for worst.
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