It takes little time to wash your greens for a salad or sandwich. I love my salad spinner, but it's not necessary. Just convenient.The important part of any food you consume is to make sure it's clean of dirt and insects and chemicals, and dry when you store it, right?
That varies with the type of lettuce you purchase. There are many varieties.
You need to wash your lettuce even if it says, "pre-washed." The good reason is that it helps to keep it fresh.
If you've ever taken out your lettuce and it sagged with a bit of black slime on the edges, you know what I mean.
First, cut the head of lettuce away from its root with a knife. You can give iceberg lettuce a pound against the counter and dig the root out with your fingers, or just use a paring knife. Separate the leaves.
You want to add the lettuce leaves to a large bowl of cold water. Soak and swish for a minute or two to clean. Gently lift from water, let drain, softly shake and dry on paper towels and blot dry.
If you have a salad spinner, the process is a bit different. It has three parts: the bowl, colander (bowl with holes) and the lid. Here's what to do.
The first part is the same. Cut off the root and separate the leaves. Next, place the leaves inside the salad spinner bowl. (It's the part that sits inside the spinner.)
Fill the spinner with cool water. Any sand or grit or guck should sink to the bottom of the salad spinner. Lift the "colander with the lettuce in it" out from the spinner. Pour out the water from the spinner. Replace the colander with lettuce inside, set the lid on, and spin to dry. The spinning should force the left-over water and help it dry. Remove to paper towels and pat to complete drying.
Store lettuce: Place in plastic bag or wrap in plastic wrap. If you have room, you can place the cleaned leaves in a container of water. Add a teaspoon of sugar. The "sugared water" keeps the lettuce crisp.
When lettuce is washed and stored properly, it stays fresh in the refrigerator for about 5 to 6 days, even longer than pre-washed lettuce.
Here are a couple of good tips:
(1) A metal knife tends to brown up lettuce. Break the root out with your hands or a plastic knife.
(2) Some people report that lettuce may contain bacteria, such as E-coli. Not too sure about this claim for all lettuce, maybe imported lettuce. In any event, it's said that washing lettuce in water with a tablespoon to two of salt helps to kill bacteria (and reduce possible episodes of diarrhea). Be sure to drain well and rinse, then proceed with the recommended steps.