Wet lettuce!

Savannah02K

Does anyone have any idea how to satisfactorily dry iceberg lettuce? I've been using it as the background for my own home grown salad leaves (first time gardener) but even though I cut the iceberg in the morning, wash it then and leave it in the colander, it's STILL all wet when I get home and I end up bashing it on the kitchen towel. Even that doesn't get rid of all the water. I hate wet lettuce! Wondered if it was worth investing in a salad spinner but everyone I've spoken to who has one said it's just another gadget that gets consigned to the kitchen top cupboards.

thriftlady_2

A salad spinner is fantastic for drying lettuce;) I use mine every time we have any kind of salad leaves. Not expensive I don't think and very efficient.

flowerfish

I grew lettuce for the first time this summer and used the spinner every day. I took the basket bit out to the garden filled it with yummy fresh leaves then brought it in rinsed and spun. I then poured the spun water into my plants to save chucking it down the drain.

I think it is one of the best things I have bought and cost very little.

I won't use it in the winter as don't really eat salad when it is cold so have put things inside it so when it is stored there isn't a load of wasted space inside.

Savannah02K

Hiya

thanks both for the above, what type/brand of spinner did you buy? Will try and get past my extreme money saving (especially now the interest rate has come down!) and buy one this weekend then but would like to know which one/type I should be looking at.

flowerfish

I just got mine from Tesco. It is cloudy plastic and the lid is bright blue. They had pink I believe as well. It was the only one they had and cost just a few pounds. HTH

RAS

As an emergency measure.

Wrap in a clean (perferably new) teatowel gather up and then go out in the garden and spin it round. Removes most of the water.

champys

thriftlady wrote: »

A salad spinner is fantastic for drying lettuce;) I use mine every time we have any kind of salad leaves. Not expensive I don't think and very efficient.

I would agree - especially when growing own lettuce, it is something you cannot really do without. Some years ago, I had a model that collapsed down quite flat which was great for storage, but it got stolen in a house move and I have never seen one like it again.
Note that it doesn't really help to buy a very small one, because then you have to spin many times which takes time, and it is more awkward to clean. I also begrudge my salad spinner the space it takes - but if you do have a big one, you spin a good quantity of lettuce in one go after washing, then store it in a plastic bag in the fridge and use it straight out of the bag 3 days running.

lauren_1

Blast with a hair dryer on cold....