Drying Lettuce And Other Greens For Salads

[BlessedMommy]

I get a ton of green leafy vegetables (I belong to a program called FarmBox, which is similar to a CSA) and I'm wondering, how do you dry off your greens after washing? Do you use a salad spinner? Or some other method? I try to dry them with a towel, but it doesn't really do as good a job as I would like. 

[LauraTX]

I have an oxo salad spinner and then if I am going to be storing the greens for a while in the fridge, I lay them out on a towel, patting them on top, and let them dry about an hour.

[Adalaide]

I keep almost buying a salad spinner then something comes up and I spend the money on something else. I just keep drying my lettuce with a paper towel, before cutting it up and only cut as much as I'll use at a time. It's super annoying and one of these days I'll get a spinner, I've heard they're generally awesome.

[cyclinglady]

I bought cheap salad spinner years ago, and it was the best investment! I think I paid less than $10 for it. I use a plastic lettuce knife too to prevent browning. Easy to clean too!

[BlessedMommy]

Where did you find the cheap salad spinner, cyclinglady? The only option at the store that I looked at yesterday was $30. (OXO brand) I'm sure that it's great but getting DH to fork out $30 for a salad spinner would be a hard sell.

[BlessedMommy]

Also, what is the difference between the cheaper and more expensive ones?

[GF Lover]

You mean I should dry my spinach leaves before making my salad?    I thought salads were meant to be juicy 

 

You know, I never even knew a salad spinner existed.  And, no, I don't live under a rock....lol.  I am what you might call "challenged" in the kitchen.  I once asked my Hubs (he's the main cook) how to make chopped nuts, he gave me that look  so I get out the big butcher knife and nut pieces were flying everywhere.  It was kind of how my Thanksgiving Dinner prep was.  I had more spatter and food things stuck to my cupboards and walls than in the dishes (ask Irish, she got many laughs on the phone that day during my "help me" calls 

 

Colleen

[BlessedMommy]

LOL!!

[kareng]

I buy the pre- washed & ready to go stuff.....

We like spinach and I got tired of buying the spinach, swishing it and washing it , and it still had sand in it.

[Greebo115]

I get a ton of green leafy vegetables (I belong to a program called FarmBox, which is similar to a CSA) and I'm wondering, how do you dry off your greens after washing? Do you use a salad spinner? Or some other method? I try to dry them with a towel, but it doesn't really do as good a job as I would like. 

 

I place my leaves in the centre of a clean, dry tea towel, then gather the corners.....go into the back garden and swing it around my head for all I am worth!

Pah, who needs fancy-shmancy salad spinners, lol.

 

[Adalaide]

I buy the pre- washed & ready to go stuff.....

We like spinach and I got tired of buying the spinach, swishing it and washing it , and it still had sand in it.

 

I honestly do this more than I buy the cut it up yourself kind of greens. Simply because it's not wet! But when I do my Bountiful Baskets there is always lettuce or other greens, way more than I can just feed to my bunbun.

[mamaw]

I do  it  the  cheap  way wash it, put it in a  strainer to drain  then towel  dry. I  wrap in  paper  towels & place  in fridge , keeps  with  several  days.....

Kareng:  PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE   wash  the  salad again  even if it  states  triple  washed....so many  are  getting  sick  from  these  types  of  triple washed  greens... I  actually  found   two  little  creatures  in my triple  washed  bags/containers... Yep,  just  protein  but  I  was  grossed  out.....sadly  when it comes to  our food  supply,  it  just  isn't  safe  to believe that  someone  else  will  look out  for us.... 2 creatures  & triple  washed???  Hummmmmmmm...I taped  them  to  a  piece of  paper & sent  them to  the  company... NO  response from  them......I just  really prefer  to get  my  protein from  known sources.....

[GottaSki]

My mother in law used to use the spin cycle of the clothes washer....she had five kids with their miscellaneous friends often...when I found out I gagged a bit until I was helping her and her best bud prepared dinner for forty ... Never tasted soapy or dirty to me.

[Adalaide]

I do  it  the  cheap  way wash it, put it in a  strainer to drain  then towel  dry. I  wrap in  paper  towels & place  in fridge , keeps  with  several  days.....

Kareng:  PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE   wash  the  salad again  even if it  states  triple  washed....so many  are  getting  sick  from  these  types  of  triple washed  greens... I  actually  found   two  little  creatures  in my triple  washed  bags/containers... Yep,  just  protein  but  I  was  grossed  out.....sadly  when it comes to  our food  supply,  it  just  isn't  safe  to believe that  someone  else  will  look out  for us.... 2 creatures  & triple  washed???  Hummmmmmmm...I taped  them  to  a  piece of  paper & sent  them to  the  company... NO  response from  them......I just  really prefer  to get  my  protein from  known sources.....

 

I don't pay $2-4 a bag/container of ready to eat lettuce or salad to have to wash it again and have a wet salad. Yes, people do sometimes get sick. But the instances of this happening in relation to the number of these ready to eat salads sold is small. Every food we buy has an inherent risk. I will continue to enjoy my salads worry free.

[cyclinglady]

Where did you find the cheap salad spinner, cyclinglady? The only option at the store that I looked at yesterday was $30. (OXO brand) I'm sure that it's great but getting DH to fork out $30 for a salad spinner would be a hard sell.

Amazon.....Tuesday Morning, Big Lots.....search and you will find.....

[LauraTX]

You can also check stores like TJ Maxx, Ross, and Marshalls.  I got a small OXO salad spinner at TJ Maxx for I think $10, I bought a small one because it takes up less space, but if I have a lot of greens to do I have to do multiple runs.  It is very nice to have.  The bottom doubles as a bowl and you can use the insert as a strainer.  When you are looking at which one to buy, I would look at how it can be washed, how you are able to store it, etc, and just get whatever suits you best.

[mamaw]

Addy... Sorry  but  I have to  disagree  with  you  on  salad  not  often  having issues... Even organic  ones  have  had to be  recalled...  More  than  once  or  twice!  And  yes,  nothing  in  the  food line  gluten-free  or  not  is  exempt  from  E-Coli,   &  such..........I'll  continue to  wash  all my  fruits,  & veggies.......I  prefer  no  residue  or  creatures........

[GottaSki]

I am laughing....no one took issue with my MILs method...and I totally forgot to mention the wiping the drum of the washer with hot water dish towel...until this thread I had totally forgotten this method.....I have ten kids (19-26) here tonight and I for one am grateful for this thread and the memory it triggered : )

[notme]

I am laughing....no one took issue with my MILs method...and I totally forgot to mention the wiping the drum of the washer with hot water dish towel...until this thread I had totally forgotten this method.....I have ten kids (19-26) here tonight and I for one am grateful for this thread and the memory it triggered : )

lolz, lisa, that is totally gross!  lolz - my ex mil used to cook for me, mostly eggs for breakfast, and i ate them dutifully.  until i realized she NEVER cleaned the cast iron pan she made them in.  EVER.  she rinsed it out (it was greasy as all get out) and set it on the stove until next time.  i swore off cast iron for a very long time because she convinced me that was how you treated cast iron.  eeww gross.  and i quit eating at her house!

 

now, that being said, i totally abuse my washing machine - if it will FIT into the barrel, it's going in

[Adalaide]

lolz, lisa, that is totally gross!  lolz - my ex mil used to cook for me, mostly eggs for breakfast, and i ate them dutifully.  until i realized she NEVER cleaned the cast iron pan she made them in.  EVER.  she rinsed it out (it was greasy as all get out) and set it on the stove until next time.  i swore off cast iron for a very long time because she convinced me that was how you treated cast iron.  eeww gross.  and i quit eating at her house!

 

now, that being said, i totally abuse my washing machine - if it will FIT into the barrel, it's going in

 

I do that too. But not with things I intend to eat after!

[IrishHeart]

lolz, lisa, that is totally gross!  lolz - my ex mil used to cook for me, mostly eggs for breakfast, and i ate them dutifully.  until i realized she NEVER cleaned the cast iron pan she made them in.  EVER.  she rinsed it out (it was greasy as all get out) and set it on the stove until next time.  i swore off cast iron for a very long time because she convinced me that was how you treated cast iron.  eeww gross.  and i quit eating at her house!

 

now, that being said, i totally abuse my washing machine - if it will FIT into the barrel, it's going in

 

 

I knew many people who never put soap in their cast iron pans...they just washed them with water and  wiped and dried them off so they did not rust.  it is called "seasoning".

 

The point is, if your pan is seasoned properly, things should slide right out and all you need is water. (but do not ask me, I do not like cast iron pans)

 

Like Karen and Addy, I prefer the triple washed greens because I am getting lazier as I age and I have never had an issue with them.

 

I have a salad spinner.  OXO brand....it is a pain in the ass...you have to do several steps:  (1) chopping (2) rinsing and (3) spinning those poor greens until they are dizzy and (4) now, I have to clean the spinner..and the cutting board. meh..I have worked hard in the kitchen for 35 years....i'm going with the organic, chopped and washed way.

 

( and if there's a stray bug or some dirt of something  in there.... so be it). My gramma used to say :"you have to eat a peck o'dirt before you die"! I doubt that's what's going to take me out after all this.

[lpellegr]

It does take some effort, but if you tear up your greens into bite-size pieces, wash them in a bowl of cold water, spin them dry (a salad spinner or I have heard you can put them in a clean pillowcase, take it outside, and swing it around!), and put them in a plastic bag with a paper towel, the paper towel seems to maintain just the right amount of moisture and the greens stay good for a week.  It's a pain to do, but it's worth that effort to be able to just grab lettuce ready to go.  I have a salad spinner with a crank on top - crank it up and let it go, shake it to drop water out and mix up the lettuce, crank it again and it's mostly dry.  I have had it many years - cost $7 and I got my money's worth, especially when getting farm shares and too much lettuce.

[GottaSki]

It does take some effort, but if you tear up your greens into bite-size pieces, wash them in a bowl of cold water, spin them dry (a salad spinner or I have heard you can put them in a clean pillowcase, take it outside, and swing it around!), and put them in a plastic bag with a paper towel, the paper towel seems to maintain just the right amount of moisture and the greens stay good for a week.  It's a pain to do, but it's worth that effort to be able to just grab lettuce ready to go.  I have a salad spinner with a crank on top - crank it up and let it go, shake it to drop water out and mix up the lettuce, crank it again and it's mostly dry.  I have had it many years - cost $7 and I got my money's worth, especially when getting farm shares and too much lettuce.

I like the pillow case idea...thanks!

[IrishHeart]

The pillow case idea is a new one on me! 

[GF Lover]

I would never have dreamed that salad could be so complicated.  I grab some out of the bag, throw my toppings on and wolf down.  What the heck am I missing except more time in the kitchen 

 

Colleen