Diana Kelly Levey

The Easiest Way to Wash and Dry Lettuce

Picking up a head of lettuce

January 5, 2020 | Categories:

You know leafy greens are good for your body—they add nutrients to your diet as well as fiber that can help you feel fuller longer. But washing salad greens can feel like a real chore, and storing them properly to keep your salad fresh longer is tricky.

Pre-washed lettuce can be a great option when you’re in a time crunch, but if you’ve ever wondered whether the bagged variety is truly clean or if you should wash it again, you’re not alone. The answer: It’s probably fine, but to be safe, wash (or re-wash) all lettuce before using it in your salad, whether it’s straight from the garden or the supermarket shelf. (Don’t forget to add these leafy greens to your cart, too.)

Don’t worry, washing and drying lettuce doesn’t take as long as you might think if you have the right tools in place. Using a salad spinner will give you a major head start, since it skips the hassle of leaf-by-leaf handwashing, and also seriously improves the efficiency of drying. It’s faster, takes up less counter space than the paper towel-blotting method and removes more water, too. (Soggy salads don’t just lose their crunchy appeal, they also can’t hold their dressing as well.)

Follow these easy steps to make sure your bowl of greens is fresh, clean and dry. (It’s just one easy step of meal prep.)

How to Wash and Dry Lettuce for Delicious Salads

Step 1: Cut off the “core” or stem from lettuce types such as iceberg. Inspect the outer leaves and remove ones that look tough. Then check out the head itself and pull out any leaves that are wilted or full of holes in the case of spinach. For greens such as kale or chard, chop or tear large leaves into smaller pieces.

Step 2: Put the torn leaves into the colander of your salad spinner. Run cool water over the produce to wash it thoroughly. Toss the leaves with your hands if you’d like. Shake out the excess water.

Step 3: Place colander inside the salad spinner bowl. Fill the bowl with cold water and allow leaves to sit in the water for a few minutes more to loosen any remaining dirt particles. Remove basket and shake out water. Rinse out spinner bowl.

Step 4: Place colander back in spinner bowl and top with the pump lid. Press down on the pump a few times so the salad spins dry. Our favorite part: The spinner not only saves counter space, it can be operated with just one hand.

Step 5: Push the button to stop the spinning. Remove your clean, dry lettuce from the colander. Rinse out the leftover dirty water in the bowl.

Step 6: Add clean greens to a bowl. We like to use the Salad Chopper and Bowl, which lets you easily chop a salad directly in the bowl.

Step 7: Once the salad spinner is washed and dried (yes, it’s safe for your dishwasher), press down on the pump and lock it into place, allowing you to store it flat.

Read the full article on OXO.

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