Ever since the E-coli scares over the past few years concerning lettuce and spinach it has become evident that we must do as much as possible to protect our health. A thorough wash and rinse of these two salad staples (or any store bought produce for that matter) is a good place to start, however nothing ruins a good tossed or Caesar salad like a small puddle of water at the bottom of your salad bowl or tasting the watered down version of your favorite dressing… YUK! The best way to alleviate these problems is to give your greens a spin in a good quality salad spinner. Salad greens should be washed not only to remove dirt, bacteria, garden pests etc. but a good rinse in COLD water tends to revive and crisp the lettuce. Then a short trip through the spinner will extract the excess water leaving you with clean, crisp greens.
Several types of salad spinners come to mind. First is the “hand Crank” style where the lettuce is put into a perforated basket inserted into a container with a hand operated crank in the lid, as you turn the crank the water is expelled through the perforations and collected in the outer container… safely away from your clean greens. Other models have pull cords or a pump that spins the basket… same principal just a different method. I have a “hand crank” model currently but have my eye on one of the Zyliss pump action models they have on the shelf in the showroom at J.E.S. Restaurant Equipment.
Do we spin “bagged, ready to eat” salad greens? I suggest you try it one time, check the color of the water that is cast off, and it should be the proverbial “no-brainer” at that point. Salad spinners are great for fresh herbs and smaller fruits like grapes and berries too…
Chef Phil
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