How to Use a Salad Spinner in 4 Steps

A salad spinner, sometimes called a salad tosser, is a tool that removes excess liquid or water from salad greens, lettuce leaves, or other leafy vegetables. Salad spinners have an inner strainer basket, similar to a colander, where you place the fresh greens and an outer bowl that connects to the spinning mechanism. By spinning a knob or pulling a cord, you create a centrifugal force that spins the leaves and shakes off excess water through the small holes or mesh in the strainer basket.

Salad spinners come in different quart capacities: Small ones work well for drying herbs, while bigger ones are great for large salads. They are also a multi-function tool, with the plastic bowl of a large salad spinner doubling as a serving bowl. You can buy a BPA-free plastic or stainless steel salad spinner or opt for a collapsible version if you have limited cabinet space or storage space.

Using a salad spinner is a great way to remove excess water from your leafy greens to prevent a soggy salad. Here are three reasons salad spinners are a great addition to any home cook’s kitchen:

1. 1. Fast and efficient: Using a salad spinner is easy, and it removes excess water from bunches of greens or herbs in a few seconds. The quick spinning can cause the bowl to shake or move; look for a salad spinner with a non-slip base to help it stay in place on your countertop. Most salad spinners are dishwasher safe, and they disassemble into parts so you can easily remove the dirty water at the bottom of the bowl.
2. 2. Gently dries greens: A salad spinner is gentle on leaves of lettuce and other greens and keeps them crispy and fresh. Shaking the leaves with your hands or patting them dry with paper towels can be rough and bruise the leaves.
3. 3. Wash and dry lettuce with one kitchen gadget: Salad spinners have a removable colander or strainer bowl. You can take out the inner colander and use it to hand-wash lettuce greens or fresh herbs in your sink. You can then place the strainer with the greens back into the main bowl and spin the water off.

A spinning salad dryer is a versatile kitchen tool to add to your cookware collection. Using a salad spinner to wash and dry lettuce only takes a few simple steps:

1. 1. Wash your lettuce in the colander. Remove the colander bowl from the larger main bowl and fill it with your lettuce leaves. Gently wash them in the sink under cold water to remove any dirt. Allow excess water to drip into the sink through the mesh.
2. 2. Assemble the salad spinner. Place the strainer bowl with your wet greens back into the main salad spinner bowl. Cover the salad bowl with the lid and lock it into place.
3. 3. Use the crank handle, knob, or pull cord to spin the inner bowl. Gently spin the knob on the top of the bowl or use the pull cord to cause the inner basket to spin. Be careful not to do this too quickly and wait until the bowl stops spinning before removing the lid. Some salad spinners have a brake button to stop the spinning action.
4. 4. Remove the lid and prepare your salad. Take off the lid and remove the inner strainer bowl with your dry greens. Dump the excess water in the outer bowl into the sink. Add toppings and salad dressing to your lettuce and serve.

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