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Credit: Image: Joe Lingeman; Food Stylist: Cyd McDowell; Design: The Kitchn
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We Tested 7 Methods for Washing and Drying Salad Greens and Found a Clear Winner

Amelia Rampe
Amelia Rampe
Amelia is a Filipino-American food and travel writer, food stylist, recipe developer, and video host based in Brooklyn, NY. She graduated from the Institute of Culinary Education and worked in kitchens under Jean-Georges Vongerichten at ABC Kitchen and Nougatine at Jean-Georges.…read more
updated Sep 28, 2022
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Having washed and dried salad greens on hand is one of the surest ways to actually eat more leafy greens at home. Ready-to-eat romaine, butter lettuce, red leaf, or mixed greens means you can always pull together a simple side salad, make a wrap, or just bolster your favorite grain salads with their bright and crunchy leaves.

You’ve probably already noticed that those clamshells of greens are more expensive than buying whole heads of lettuce and preparing them yourself, so finding the best method for washing and drying salad greens means that you can save money, reduce waste, and eat more vegetables!

Armed with a bounty of lettuces, we tested several popular methods for washing greens and then used our favorite washing method to also test tips for making sure the greens are incredibly dry — which keeps them fresher longer. We tried seven methods for washing and drying greens, and there were two washing winners and one clear winning drying method.

How We Tested Methods for Washing and Drying Salad Greens

Amidst all the advice for washing and drying greens, there is lots of cross-over: Some people suggest a sink soak for washing but a salad spinner for drying, while others use the salad spinner for washing and then towel dry all the leaves.

Unlike some of our other technique tests, we decided to divide these tests into two categories: washing and then drying. After choosing our favorite method for washing we used that method before testing all the drying methods. We used three types of greens to test this method: red leaf, romaine, and, possibly the dirtiest green ever, spinach.

Credit: Joe Lingeman; Food Stylist: Cyd McDowell

Salad Green Washing Methods

I focused in on three washing methods: icy water method, colander in a cleaned sink, and the salad spinner method. For each method, I added the water to the soaking vessel, added the greens, and then gave the mixture a little agitation with my hands. I allowed each mixture to rest for 10 minutes to allow the water to soften the tough grit attached to the leaves and also to allow the residue to fall to the bottom of the vessel.

After 10 minutes I gently agitated the mixture once more then let it sit five more minutes for the residue to fall. I used the same timing tests across all three to even the testing field.

Credit: Joe Lingeman; Food Stylist: Cyd McDowell

Washing Method: Big Bowl of Icy Cold Water

Total time: 15 to 20 minutes
Rating: 7/10

About this method: For the ice water method, fill up a large glass bowl with water then add ice. Add your greens and agitate for as long as your hand can stand — it is cold! Then allow the mixture to rest for a bit, agitate again, rest again, and then pull the greens out, leaving the water and grit to fall. Transfer the greens into a colander over a plate.

When I assessed how much dirt was left at the bottom of the soaking vessel, the ice water bath had the least amount of residue at the bottom. Plus, I personally am not a fan of dipping my hands in ice cold water. It hurt!

Credit: Joe Lingeman; Food Stylist: Cyd McDowell

Washing Method: Clean Sink

Total time: 15 to 20 minutes
Rating
: 8/10

About this method: I have to be honest — I’m not a total germaphobe, but for me to wash my greens in a sink means I’ll likely wash my sink three times before I allow my lettuces to go in. For this method, fill a clean sink with cold water, then add a colander with greens to the basin.

Then agitate, rest, agitate again, and then rest before pulling up the colander to allow the excess water and dirt to drain out. I transferred the colander to a plate to catch any excess water.

While I felt this was the best cleaning method, I could not get over how much water I had to use to fill my sink up. I could fill up the salad spinner 15 times (not confirmed) before I used the amount of water the sink takes. When you’re done using the spinner, you wash it once and it’s ready for the next round.

Between the labor involved to clean the sink to food safety standards and the excessive amount of water used, I couldn’t call this the one true winner.

Credit: Joe Lingeman; Food Stylist: Cyd McDowell

Washing Method: Salad Spinner Soak

Total time: 15 to 20 minutes
Rating: 9.5/10

About this method: For this method, fill the 10×10-inch salad spinner basin with cold water then place the basket with greens inside. Gently agitate the mixture, allow it to rest, and then repeat. Pull the salad spinner basket out and let the water drain back into the basin.

When I inspected how much dirt was left behind, the salad spinner method had twice as much residue then the ice water method. When I inspected the leaves, I found that they were mostly clean but still had some grit closer to the roots. I would have to give one more pass for it to be sufficiently clean.

Credit: Joe Lingeman; Food Stylist: Cyd McDowell

Salad Green Drying Methods

The most important considerations when it came to drying greens are both how much time it takes to dry the greens and how dry they get. For this part of the skills showdown, I explored four different styles: wrapping wet greens in a large kitchen towel and whipping it around to drain the water, wrapping wet greens in a towel and placing the towel in a bag and waving the bag the same way I did in the first method, using a salad spinner, and laying lettuce leaves out to dry in a paper towel-lined sheet tray.

Credit: Joe Lingeman; Food Stylist: Cyd McDowell

Drying Method: Laid Out on Paper Towels

Total Time: 1 hour
Rating
: 6/10

About this method: This method is just what it sounds like. Lay down some paper towels in a sheet pan and sprinkle wet lettuces on top. You will need to occasionally toss the greens to make sure the water doesn’t pool and that it dries evenly. This works fine if you don’t have a spinner or have plenty of time to kill, but it might not be the best method if your kitchen gets warm.

Credit: Joe Lingeman; Food Stylist: Cyd McDowell

Drying Method: Towel Rolling and Wringing

Total Time: 5 minutes
Rating
: 7/10

About this method: Begin by laying out a clean cloth towel, then add greens in an even layer leaving a small border between the greens and the edge of the towel. Starting with the greens side, roll the towel up like a burrito. Bend the towel in the center and bring the edges together, like a horseshoe. The next step is to wave the towel. I spun it it in circles; the motion forces the water out.

This can get messy, though. If you don’t mind water all over your kitchen, then go for it. Otherwise you might want to wave it out the window or go outside. This method was fine, although it caused a big mess and limits the volume of greens you can dry at one time. I did find it a nice way to relieve aggression, though. I did this for about three minutes before the water stopped splashing out.

Credit: Joe Lingeman; Food Stylist: Cyd McDowell

Drying Method: Towel Rolling and Plastic Bag Wringing

Total Time: 3 to 5 minutes
Rating
: 7/10

About this method: As with the towel wringing method, you roll the wet greens up in a clean kitchen towel and then move the towel to a bag — most often this technique uses a plastic produce bag, but you could use a clean reusable bag too. I thought I would like this method more than the regular towel method because I liked the idea of being able to contain the water that splashes out.

I found that the bag just helped the water reabsorb into the towel and I couldn’t really tell how much water was actually escaping. I do like the idea of storing the lettuces like this, though. If you’re going to use a towel method, I think you should use the regular towel method then transfer to the bag if you’d like to store them.

Credit: Joe Lingeman; Food Stylist: Cyd McDowell

Drying Method: Salad Spinner

Total Time: 90 seconds
Rating
: 10/10

About this method: In every restaurant I’ve worked in, there has been a salad spinner. The difference between the home spinner and a restaurant spinner is about three feet in height and electricity. Restaurant spinners need to accommodate enough greens to feed a big crowd. They plug into the wall and your only job is to hold on and make sure the spinner doesn’t dance away while it gyrates. It dries a large amount of greens in minutes.

My home spinner is about 10 inches by 10 inches and has a pull cord. I pulled the cord a few times to let it get some speed and then let slow down. I opened the spinner, pulled out the basket, dumped the water and spun the lettuces again. I repeated this until the water stopped pooling at the bottom, about 1 and half minutes. This was my favorite method for drying, fast and efficient.

What We Learned About Washing and Drying Greens

The spinner was my clear winner of the drying battle. We can’t say this is entirely surprising, although hopes were high that a bulky tool wasn’t the only winning method. There is a reason why restaurants use a spinner to dry their greens. It does the job quickly and efficiently: two pillars of restaurant work.

In terms of washing, the sink washes your greens more efficiently but the spinner is the best method for drying. Do you want to wash your sink and a spinner? I’m lazy. I would likely just use the spinner to avoid washing the sink three times. Sure, super-dirty greens or big batches will require emptying the salad spinner more than once, but I’d rather wash my greens twice in the spinner instead of use 15 times the water (or more) in the sink.

The salad spinner is one of those must-have kitchen items if you’re a person who makes salads at home. It saves both time and water and dries your lettuces swiftly.