View Full Version : Salad spinner
I am serious, don't laugh. I threw away my salad spinner after years of service because it broke, and I'll probably get another one. I just can't get the lettuce dry enough without spinning.
Recommend a brand? I suppose I should watch for these at the thrift store.
Oxo. Easy to use and it's fast, and the top pump compresses for easier storage. It even has a brake. And the plastic basket is quite sturdy. It was heavily marketed a few years ago so I've seen a good number at yard sales. Retail, they are about $25, but yard sale prices for new/used is from about $1 to $5.
Avoid OXO...it did nothing for me. My lettuce was still wet.
Avoid OXO...it did nothing for me. My lettuce was still wet.
Perhaps you are filling the inner basket with too much lettuce. For spinners to work properly, you have to give the lettuce enough room to move to the outside as the basket spins, hence allowing the water to be tossed against the outside wall of the container and then into the bottom. I use my spinner almost daily, even washing and selling my extra lettuce, and I love the thing. Obviously, YMMV.
Isn't "salad spinner" one of the legendary hot topics of great debate on the old SLN forums? I opened this up to find something controversial...but not yet!
Oh boy- oh boy- oh boy!!! FLORENCE! Where are you??? :laff:
I was so excited when I read that you got rid of your old spinner Iris, yet totally disappointed in you for mentioning that you'll probably be getting another. I'm not trying to undermine anyone's love for salad spinners, but I can chop/slice up a head of lettuce, wash/rinse all the leaves under the tap, grab all the freshly rinsed roughage and shake it a few times (with it clumped between my hands), give it a few good slaps up against the inside of the sink basin, then deposit into a bowl. All done.
To me (so it seems), using a spinner would add needless time to the preparation process. Dragging the unit out, removing the lid, mucking the inside all up with wet lettuce, putting the lid on then spinning, removing the lid and dumping out the contents, washing and drying the spinner afterwards. Whew... Just seems like a whole lot of nonsense to contend with to make a salad. And besides, who likes dry salad anyway? :~)
Bastelmutti
6-9-11, 11:05am
OXO! The one with the button that functions as a "brake" to stop the basket. Love my salad spinner - and dry salad ;-)
Now, now, Mrs M, I think you are intentionally trying to stir things up. ;)
(You would wash and dry your spinner afterwards???? egads.)
Because I grow extra and sell a lot of my lettuce (washed), I would be adrift without a good salad spinner. I even have an outside lettuce/veggie washing station so I can use all the water I want, and then pour it into a container that via a hose, drains directly into the small pond so no water is wasted down the sink. In my part of Calif, water is precious.
I have 2 spinners, one smaller that I use for herbs from the garden. It's an OXO. Don't know the others' brand; both came from Goodwill. I LOVE them! I cut greens out of the garden right into the spinner basket, put it into its bowl, add filtered water, spin & done. Spinning the correct amount of greens does indeed get them dry enough for a lovely salad. I don't like wet greens. The water then gets used on houseplants or outside containers that need it.
I rinse out whatever clings to the basket & bowl and air dry them in the dish drainer. Once in awhile - like monthly - I run the small one through the dishwasher, and give a soap & hot water wash to the big one.
I cannot see the words 'salad spinner' without chuckling. Something about this board has done that to me:-)
I was given a Zyliss salad spinner over 7 years ago (housewarming gift) and continue to love it.
loosechickens
6-9-11, 2:31pm
AH HA.......another Salad Spinner thread.....only the war between disposable and cloth diapers can cause such a long string of pages of discussion.......
I finally got rid of my salad spinner because we were buying salad in bags, but now, even when traveling, we are carting around windowboxes full of lettuce, and my sweetie is also volunteering at an organic farm, so we are drowning in fresh greens at the moment.......so it's time to head to a few thrift stores to find another one. Every time I think I've eliminated "salad spinner" from my life, my life changes again and one is needed.
They DO seem to be something that is really, really common at thrift stores, so it shouldn't be hard to replace it. BUT....this is about the third time I've gone through this......"we don't need this thing anymore....out it goes.......wow, we're getting a LOT of greens and lettuce that need washing.......better get a salad spinner........gee, I haven't used this thing for awhile, might as well make space in the rig for other stuff.........gee, I'm getting tired of washing all this lettuce, we need to go to the thrift store and find another salad spinner"......and on and on and on.
O.K. THIS time I'm giving up....I'm getting another one, and every time I think it's somethat that could be gotten rid of, I'll remember to pull up this thread to remind me to LEAVE IT ALONE AND KEEP IT. hahahahahaha
I knew it, I just knew it was too good to last...As loosechickens said, can diapering be far behind....
I use an OXO. My Cooks Illustrated magazine came today. One of the tips in it was for small amounts of lettuce. Get one of those plastic berry containers with the attached fold open lid and holes. Put in the lettuce, rinse, shake. Seems like just the thing for a side salad.
I am so tempted to walk into my Honda service department with my OXO salad spinner and say "It needs new brakes".......which it does!
I used to think they were the epitome of excess, until I got one! I love mine and use it every day. But......it does need new brakes. :)
In my hippie days, it was said you could use a pillow case, go outside and spin it around. I really didn't want to do that.
it was said you could use a pillow case, go outside and spin it around. I really didn't want to do that.
I've done that pre spinner days. It really does work, but you have to have a lot of space, a nice day, a good healthy arm, and very clean pillowcases.
As to the oxo brake - the cat's meow.
O.K. THIS time I'm giving up....I'm getting another one, and every time I think it's somethat that could be gotten rid of, I'll remember to pull up this thread to remind me to LEAVE IT ALONE AND KEEP IT. hahahahahaha
You better write this message on your new spinner with a Sharpie. :)
We have an OXO and we love it. Wore it out and bought another one. We eat a LOT of salad. It has the added advantage that it will keep the salad fresh in the fridge and in a pinch will work for a salad bowl, if you are taking salad to a pot luck.
I've tried other methods of drying lettuce and it just doesn't get it dry enough.
And like the diaper argument, if you use it, it's useful. I liken this to the bread machine thread "but you can do it in a kitchenaid mixer!", the rice cooker argument "what's wrong with a pot?" and just about any discussion about baby stuff. "Why on earth would you need a microwave steamer for bottles?"
In case you were wondering...
a bread machine will bake your bread overnight. If you want to do it yourself, with the kneading, rising, shaping, baking, cooling...you are looking at 4-5 hours. I am asleep 3.5 hours after I get home, so it's not happening.
The rice cookeris hands off...no need to check on it, awesome if you are trying to cooker and keep a handle on the kiddos at the same time.
and a microwave steamer is fast and easy for a working mom who pumps 3x a day and has hard water...when you can only use filtered water to avoid hard water deposits, the steamer is your best bet!
loosechickens
6-10-11, 12:00am
what great advice, treehugger.....I think I will do just that, because obviously several times already, I've given one away only to buy one back at a later date. You'd think I would have learned by now.......the "sharpie" is a great idea!
flowerseverywhere
6-10-11, 12:38am
Since I have never used one I looked them up- so that is a salad spinner. I've seen lots of them in thrift stores and didn't know what they were. Who knew- I'll have to pick one up. I just let the lettuce sit in the colander for a while.
My confession of the day is I got a new food processor today. I know you can chop with a knife but I make 95% vegetarian dishes so it is worth the cost to me.
Came across this (http://tinyfarmblog.com/spin-cycle/) in my travels and thought it was priceless! Enjoy all you salad spinners! :laff:
I guess the argument in this case would be- "top-loader or front-loader". http://th600.photobucket.com/albums/tt84/SVT-GT500/smileys/th_hysterical2smiley-1.gif
I guess the argument in this case would be- "top-loader or front-loader". http://th600.photobucket.com/albums/tt84/SVT-GT500/smileys/th_hysterical2smiley-1.gif
OMG, can you imagine the mess with a front-loader and greens? Too darn funny.
Wildflower
6-10-11, 2:57am
Oh boy- oh boy- oh boy!!! FLORENCE! Where are you??? :laff:
I was so excited when I read that you got rid of your old spinner Iris, yet totally disappointed in you for mentioning that you'll probably be getting another. I'm not trying to undermine anyone's love for salad spinners, but I can chop/slice up a head of lettuce, wash/rinse all the leaves under the tap, grab all the freshly rinsed roughage and shake it a few times (with it clumped between my hands), give it a few good slaps up against the inside of the sink basin, then deposit into a bowl. All done.
To me (so it seems), using a spinner would add needless time to the preparation process. Dragging the unit out, removing the lid, mucking the inside all up with wet lettuce, putting the lid on then spinning, removing the lid and dumping out the contents, washing and drying the spinner afterwards. Whew... Just seems like a whole lot of nonsense to contend with to make a salad. And besides, who likes dry salad anyway? :~)
I'm with Mrs-M! I don't feel the need to use a salad spinner. Don't even own one. Haha, what fond memories this thread brings back.... >8)
OXO -- with the brake! My mom poked fun at my salad spinner the other day when she was visiting. I thought of SLN and just laughed.
I loved the link, Mrs. M....thanks! I wonder how those huge national brands of bagged salad greens wash and dry THEIR lettuces?
Came across this (http://tinyfarmblog.com/spin-cycle/) in my travels and thought it was priceless! Enjoy all you salad spinners! :laff:
That is beautiful Mrs. M!
We have a Zyliss that we've had for about 10 years and is still in perfect condition despite nearly daily use.
I will never get rid of my salad spinner! We eat a lot of leafy greens.
Now THAT'S a salad spinner Mrs.M! LOL! That's probably what the salad factories use!
Love that centrifugal force!
I see no link with your post Mrs M. Don't know why.
I have an amateur salad spinner and I love it. I'm not quite ready for a professional one cause then it's a slippery slope to the professional salad shooter.:~)
Mine's a Tupperware - more pricey to begin with, but a pretty good one if you see it at a thrift store.
Starfrit. Best I've ever owned. I hated the one with the plunger.
Oh boy, back again to have yet another laugh after a long and tiring day! :)
Redfox. I cannot imagine the mess! ROTFLMAO!!!
Wildflower. Please share your method of preparing greens with me if you will.
Leslieann. The link also caused me to wonder... and not in a good way either. http://th6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/prinnypublic/smilies/th_scared.gif
Iris Lily. I just knew the article would fit in so well with this thread! So glad you started it! :)
CathyA. Believe it or not, seeing that washing machine in the picture has caused me to rethink the way I prepare greens in my home! :laff:
Peggy. I created a hyperlink for everyone to visit. Just run your cursor over the word "this" in the sentence and click, you will automatically be taken to the link. (If you look closely you will see that the word "this" is highlighted in blue as compared to the rest of the words in the sentence which display in black).
Don't know the brand of my salad spinner, but I do know it has a hole on the top that you can run water into while spinning, and, what I think is the most important, it has a "basket" bottom versus a closed bowl bottom. The basket bottom allows the water to drain out and away from the greens. Just make sure you use it in the sink and not on the counter!
Don't know the brand of my salad spinner, but I do know it has a hole on the top that you can run water into while spinning, and, what I think is the most important, it has a "basket" bottom versus a closed bowl bottom. The basket bottom allows the water to drain out and away from the greens. Just make sure you use it in the sink and not on the counter!
Mine has a bowl, but I remove it and drain it. I use salad spinners with kids for spin art, and trust me, when using spinners in this unorthodox manner, you do NOT want it to be an open basket bottom!!
I am pleased and gratified that this Salad Spinner thread is still going, and I will bump it from time to time to bore EVERYONE with the topic. ha ha. Don't read it if you don't want to!!!!
ps I am still without a spinner, but that's not my intent for long. Here's hoping that a good salad spinner comes into my realm.
Salad spinner for kids spin art... Do you use tempera paints, paper vs fabric, etc.? Sounds so cool and bet it would be tons of fun!
Salad spinner for kids spin art... Do you use tempera paints, paper vs fabric, etc.? Sounds so cool and bet it would be tons of fun!
You could do all those things, but usually we are just trying to be effecieint. So, I'll have 3 or 4 salad spinners ready. Then different colors of tempera paints in jars, thinned with water just a tiny bit. Then cut out circles of construction paper to fit the bottoms of the spinners. Write the child's name on one side and turn that side down away from the top of the painting. Then h ave child use a plastic spoon to drip spoonfulls onto the paper. Make sure some alternating colors, in different areas of the paper. Put on the lid and spin, spin, spin! Very satisfying and beautiful to boot. Very engaging, kids LOVE to do it.
wallydraigle
7-14-11, 1:58am
I would love to have a salad spinner. I have a couple of recipes that require the leaves be completely dry to get the best flavor. Kale, being so curly and bunchy, just doesn't dry well on its own, even if it's left out for a while. After blotting it dry, I make a sort of bag out of a flour sack towel and swing it through the air. Or I put a small bunch at a time in a bowl and use a hair dryer. Either way, it's a royal pain in the tuchus. And getting it completely dry really makes a difference.
Originally posted by Iris Lily.
ps I am still without a spinner, but that's not my intent for long. Here's hoping that a good salad spinner comes into my realm.Here's hoping it doesn't! That way when you overlook bumping this thread I can come along and ask you, "hey Iris, did you get your new salad spinner yet"?!!! ROTFLMAO! :laff:
Here's hoping it doesn't! That way when you overlook bumping this thread I can come along and ask you, "hey Iris, did you get your new salad spinner yet"?!!! ROTFLMAO! :laff:
Not yet, am holding off for a while. Hope to spot one at a thrift store in the next few months. If not, I'll buy one. Tonight I had wet salad greens and it was not very nice.:(
Originally posted by Iris Lily.
Tonight I had wet salad greens and it was not very nice.Do what I do Iris, and give 'em a good slapping up against the sink basin after rinsing! Works like a charm! :)
Define eternal: the salad spinner thread. (Now on to the toilet paper over or under thread...)
I'm still not understanding the whole, "I need to get my roughage completely dry" thing. Why? How come? What is it about dry fixings for salad that people find appealing? I would rather eat fresh mouthwatering salad fixings that have been washed and bathed in ice cold water, gently shaken, then prepared and served, than salad fixings dry as a bone.
Florence. I love the old toilet paper roll argument! It's a fave of mine!
wallydraigle
7-20-11, 5:16pm
I'm still not understanding the whole, "I need to get my roughage completely dry" thing. Why? How come? What is it about dry fixings for salad that people find appealing? I would rather eat fresh mouthwatering salad fixings that have been washed and bathed in ice cold water, gently shaken, then prepared and served, than salad fixings dry as a bone.
Florence. I love the old toilet paper roll argument! It's a fave of mine!
I have recipes that require completely dry produce in order to cook nicely. Otherwise they come out tasting steamed instead of being nice and crunchy. And it's really hard to get super curly leaves dry enough without some extra assistance. I used my hair dryer once, which worked pretty well, but I'm thinking the power usage wasn't worth it.
Originally posted by Wallydraigle.
I have recipes that require completely dry produce in order to cook nicely.Understandable. I think I can now comfortably walk away from this thread with a better appreciation for the need for dry roughage when called for. Thanks. :)
Toilet paper: over. Nothing worse than soggy toilet paper due to it sticking to the condensation on a cold bathroom wall.
Salad: definitely a spinner, although DH has ours so I'm having to make do with a couple of clean dishtowels and lots of gentle patting. Soggy salad dilutes whatever dressing I'm putting on it. And soggy basil is a disaster for pesto. But for cooked greens I prefer them lightly coated with whatever water hasn't been dislodged after draining and patting.
I've said it before and I'll say it again.....I eat my lettuce dirty. Helps the immune system.....
I've said it before and I'll say it again.....I eat my lettuce dirty. Helps the immune system.....
oh sure, dirt is one thing, but the chemicals on store bought veg--something else again.
Given all of the garden produce that comes into this house, I'm not terribly picky about exact cleanliness. Lettuce season is over here and so any lettuce I'm getting from the grocery store.
Well...I'm not sure your salad spinner washed the chemicals off.... I think they may be in the cells of the plant, same as they get absorbed in the cells of the animals....
On a happier note, it seems that the e-coli mutants that kill people are sporadic and unpredictable.:~)
Something has got to kill ya.....
I love my OXO spinner with the basket. I wash my lettuce and then use my kitchen shears to cut and place in spinner. Voila! Perfect salad every time.
I love my OXO spinner with the basket. I wash my lettuce and then use my kitchen shears to cut and place in spinner. Voila! Perfect salad every time.
Oh dear, Polliwog, you may have just wandered into the cut versus torn lettuce minefield. It can be brutal out there...
CropCircleDancer
7-21-11, 5:40pm
The best brand is Ziplock!
Originally Posted by Polliwog
I love my OXO spinner with the basket. I wash my lettuce and then use my kitchen shears to cut and place in spinner. Voila! Perfect salad every time.
Originally posted by Florence.
Oh dear, Polliwog, you may have just wandered into the cut versus torn lettuce minefield. It can be brutal out there... Oh, come now, where is your imagination? What about the option of picking a selection of perfectly and delicately formed roughage that requires no shears or tearing? :laff:
Oh, come now, where is your imagination? What about the option of picking a selection of perfectly and delicately formed roughage that requires no shears or tearing? :laff:
My mother insisted on tearing not cutting. I see cutting on all the cooking shows now. I usually still tear, but will chop on occasion.
The restaurant i used to work at used one of those GIANT salad spinners that would shake, spin and gyrate about... A few years ago I went to a garage sale and Low-And-Behold there was one just like it. Still to this day I eat A LOT of salad!
I needed a good laugh this morning, so after coming across this thread I decided to resurrect it for all to enjoy, again. For any newcomers to this topic, do check out the hyperlink I posted (page 3). It's a classic, sure to make you laugh!
I've said it before and I'll say it again.....I eat my lettuce dirty. Helps the immune system.....
Perhaps the earlier poster who needed dry greens for them to cook into a crunchy state should try this. Her greens would be double crunchy! Perhaps that could even be incorporated into the recipe name like Double Crunch Stir Fry or some such thing.
Thanks for resurrecting Mrs M! I somehow missed this one first time around. FWIW, the reason I want to be able to dry lettuce is so that I can prep lettuce when I have the time, (e.g. on a Sun afternoon) and have it ready to use during the week. I don't particularly mind wet lettuce, but I strongly object to slimy, black, rotten lettuce >:( I'm finding that the salad spinner lets me prep greens that will then stay good for 4 days or more. On weekdays, I'm away from home for at least 11.5 hours, so there isn't time for much in the way of extra activities. Although I can somehow always find time to eat some chocolate . . . In any event, we are eating more salads and less ramen during the week now that I have a salad spinner. That cannot possibly be a bad thing! ;)
So glad to hear your spinner is working our well for you, Rosa. That's what it's all about, finding happiness, balance, and contentment, in the way we live, and in what we choose.
shadowmoss
3-14-12, 6:07pm
But, the real question is has Iris Lily gotten her spinner yet?
Since I have never used one I looked them up- so that is a salad spinner. I've seen lots of them in thrift stores and didn't know what they were. Who knew- ...
gosh, you're new here, aren't ya? ;)
But, the real question is has Iris Lily gotten her spinner yet?
Yes, I bought one at Target some months ago and I relaly like it, it was about $15.00. I will continue to look for an OXO when thrifting.
I was so disappointed when this turned out to be a serious topic.
iris lily
3-16-12, 11:48pm
I was so disappointed when this turned out to be a serious topic.
As the OP I don't mind if it devolves into silliness. Go for it.
rosarugosa
3-17-12, 7:22am
OK, here's some Salad Spinner Silliness for you. When we spin our salad, we sing the chorus from the RatDog song Money for Gasoline:
(Spin the wheel)
Spin the wheel, spin the wheel
(Spin the wheel)
Spin the wheel, spin the wheel
(Spin the wheel)
Spin the wheel, spin the wheel
Spin the wheel like Ezekiel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB5XlgNIfa8
We were at this show! !pow!
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.