I've washed leaf lettuce, such as Romaine, this way for so long I don't know if there is another way.
I used to use a salad spinner but thought it occupied a lot of room in my limited cupboard space
for the little I used it since it didn't seem to spin it all that dry.
So I lay it out on an old terrycloth absorbent tea towel, layer upon layer.
Sometimes I let it sit like that for a few hours, or I roll it up and let it sit rolled up until
I'm ready to make the salad. Or if I'm just washing it for use another day, I'll put it in a
large baggie with some paper towel to absorb any left over moisture.
My method reminds me of my mom washing hankies or other
fragile linens, wrapping in a towel, sticking in the
frig for ironing later on.
But that's a story for another day.
I'm curious--how do you wash lettuce?
That's the way I do it also, Dotsie! My salad spinner is too much trouble--the old ways are sometimes the best ways! ♥
ReplyDeleteI saw Ina Garten wrap lettuces in a tea towel, gather it up and swing it around several times which seemed to work. My mother and grandmother used to "sprinkle" clothes and wrap them up. I don't think they refrigerated them though. Thank goodness for steam irons and wrinkle free fabrics!!
ReplyDeleteBest,
Bonnie
I do it like that too, but using paper towels!
ReplyDeleteHello Podso,
ReplyDeleteMy mum used to dry lettuce like you do.
I did it for a while, but then as the family grew.. I sieve the leaves with water and let them settle I find that just a little water thins the vinegar , when seasoning the lettuce .
Happy cooking
val
Sometimes I get out the spinner...true enough that it doesn't work for beans, but then I don't have a lot of counter space for drying lettuce. If not trying to do too much at the same time, I usually place a towel down with a paper towel on top because John thinks he can taste soap. Long story. Don't ask. =D
ReplyDeleteI don't always wash it! Yikes! But mostly when we do, I do it like you do. I don't have a spinner!
ReplyDeleteDeanna
I use the salad spinner and then store it layered in paper towels.
ReplyDeleteHi Dotsie...I posted this a good while back. Have you ever done this? It is an amzing way to keep romaine. Here is where to find it: http://debbysfavoritethings.blogspot.com/2013/08/making-lettuce-last.html
ReplyDeleteSadly, I'm not nearly as diligent as you, Dotsie. A good splash under running water... a brisk shake and then to rest on a towel. Never makes it to the fridge because I'm only staying one step ahead. hehee. I LOVE the story about you and Sara visiting after all these years. There is something so special about relationships that "don't miss a beat". Always makes my heart happy to hear about one. =) blessings and hugs ~ tanna
ReplyDeleteI rarely use the salad spinner, although the girls sometimes do. I usually dry lettuce with paper towels. (My favorite is to buy the ready-to-eat lettuce in bags, if they are fresh-looking. That's the lazy girl in me.) :)
ReplyDeleteI do the same exact thing with the romaine lettuce, and it keeps a long time this way.
ReplyDeleteI've always used a salad spinner and find the lettuce dry enough to hold the dressing. I wash then rip the romaine apart before it goes in the spinner and keep extra in the crisper in a zip lock bag.
ReplyDeleteI washed mine the exact same way tonight. I normally don't do anything in the kitchen - that's Steve's job. But, he asked me to make the salad.
ReplyDeleteI just ordered 2 dozen of the IKEA white with 1 red stripe towels at $.79 each. They work great for drying lettuce.
I do the same. Your story about sprinkling the laundry and rolling it up brought back the memory of my mom doing just that. Haven't thought of that for years! She had a huge 7up bottle with a sprinkler cork in it that she used to sprinkle the hankies and dresser scarves or whatever else she would roll up and store in the refrigerator for later ironing
ReplyDeleteI loved my salad spinner and felt it quite worth the space in the cupboard. But then I put the strainer part in the dishwasher and it hasn't worked since. So now I do as you do with the towels.
ReplyDeleteWhen I had a top loading washer, I would put the lettuce into a special pillowcase (reserved just for lettuce), and put it into the washer, close the lid and turn the dial to the last few moments of the spin cycle. I've never had such wonderfully dry lettuce. Now I have a front loader and can't do that. It's back to the towels.
I use a variety of ways, tea towel, paper towel or spinner , depending on the type of lettuce. Fresh garden lettuce seems to get so witty after being spun so I dry it on tea towels. If it's store bought lettuce I use the spinner. Have a great week !
ReplyDeleteI had exactly the same experience with my salad spinner, too, Dotsie. I usually end up washing mine and squeezing them dry in paper towels, but I like the look of your method better. I have to say in recent years I've purchased the bagged, pre-washed lettuce, but I don't think it tastes as good as the loose lettuce.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your visit! I think it's so neat that you have the same Paddington Bear, and I'm just amazed that you have the same blue and yellow tea towel. Wow! I bought mine at a local tea shop in Winston-Salem; I just love it. :) Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Dotsie. We're about to be tired of all the rain at our house. :)
Hugs,
Denise
Podso,
ReplyDeleteWet it down, put it in a colandier, transfer it to paper towels and . . .
if I'm in a hurry. . .roll the moisture out!!!
oh, yes. . .I'll never forget the first time I found table linens
rolled in my Grandmother's fridge!!! I nearly freaked out!!!
Grandmother was so~o~o patient with me!!!
Fondly,
Pat