Let's Spin--Some Salad, That Is

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

This may surprise you, but I’m not a gadget person. Especially not a kitchen gadget person. Oh, I have a food processor, a blender—and you already know how we love that toaster oven—but I find that even with a fair amount of counter space, appliances tend to clog up the open area and then I end up shuffling and rearranging instead of actually working on what I wanted to. Not only that, but I’ve found that some appliances actually make more work than they eliminate. What, you say? How can that be?

Well, if it takes only one knife and a cutting board to slice some veggies, I certainly don’ t need to pull out a slicer, dicer and mincer that can do 10 different things as long as I assemble it in just the right order. And then the clean-up: with 10 or more pieces and veggie bits stuck all over, there’s at least 5 or 10 minutes for clean-up. Give me a straight up knife any day. Chop, slice, dice, mince and you’re done. Rinse and put away. Simple and easy.

Thus it was that bit of a purist in me that passed over the salad spinner craze when it broke out a couple years ago. Seemed that everywhere I went folks were spinning salad. “What’s the big deal,” I thought? “What’s it do that my handy-dandy trusty ol' knife can’t?” Well, even with the issue of slicing or tearing salad greens aside, I found out soon enough.

For my very own parents are salad spinners extraordinaire. You see, they prepare an entire week’s worth of salad on the weekend. And my parents are not recreational salad eaters, no. They eat salad for every meal of the day—sometimes even for breakfast.

So making salad at their house is an event. Here’s what my mom says: “Our usual—and perhaps our favorite—salad combination is romaine, spinach, scallions and parsley. Also, when it is available, we love to add radicchio and dandelion. When we lived in New Jersey the stores had dandelion most of the time—not wild, but grown for salad—and it was mild and very good. Since we used arugula the other week, I have been substituting that in place of spinach when I can find it. Mostly, though, we end up with the romaine, spinach, scallion and parsley combination because those are always available. Also, another favorite is to add blanched kale to the combination of raw ingredients above.”

Sound too adventurous for your crew? Don’t be so sure—these are all very tasty, mild combinations that truly up the ante on a regular ol' lettuce salad combo. Add your favorite dressing and toppings and you just might have a winner.

Fast forward to now: Our new salad spinner got more action and attention just sitting on the counter (not yet used) than I ever dreamed possible. I’ve since learned that the salad spinner is the best way to get those greens nice and dry so that they don’t turn into a brown, unappetizing mass before their time. And that’s super-handy whenever you want (or need) to prepare fresh greens ahead of time. And even if you buy the pre-bagged salads, it’s always a good idea to wash your produce first. Think it’s just another boring kitchen tool? Think again. Had I known, I wouldn’t have waited so long to actually equip our kitchen with one.

For if there’s one thing about new, interesting kitchen appliances it’s this: There’s never a lack of helping hands. It took only the unpacking of the spinner and it was only minutes before this diversion and curiosity had everyone who walked through the kitchen pumping and twirling.

And, as you probably know, that I’m a big proponent of putting kids into action in the kitchen. Not only does it help them learn to eat more healthfully, it also teaches them all-important life skills.

But spinning all the greens in a salad? Yep, I hear it being pumped at odd times—and that empty bowl as often as not has greens in it.

What more can I say—using tools in the kitchen can be a major source of inspiration and helps to get kids interested and involved in helping/trying/cooking new foods.

If you don’t have a salad spinner but still want to optimize the dryness (and longevity) of your salad greens, here’s an interesting twist: use a pillowcase. Yep, that’s right. Years ago—before my own salad spinner days—I read this frugal living tip: Forget the salad spinner they said. Use a clean pillowcase and put all your greens in. Take it outside and spin it above your head in circles—fast.

Yeah, that’s a trip isn’t it? Warning: don’t use pillowcases that have lint, fur or hair on them—and remember to get all the pieces of lettuce from inside. And, oh yeah—close your eyes and wear something you don’t mind getting a bit splattered with water droplets.

So, do you have a salad spinner? Is it sitting forgotten on a shelf or tossed onto the garage sale pile or shoved to the back of the kitchen cupboard? Or are you headed to the linen closet for a pillowcase?

No matter whether you choose the frugal pillow toss or the gadget-y way, one thing’s for sure: Let your kids in on the fun. Remember, kids who help spin salad are much more likely to eat salad.