QandAs: Food

What is a Salad Spinner?

Answer:
Most salad greens need to be thoroughly washed in order

to remove objectionable grit and dirt before use. However, all of that accumulated moisture can make those salad ingredients too wet to accept oil-based salad dressings, or a unappealing pool of water could form at the bottom of the salad bowl.

Greens and other leafy vegetables should be as dry as possible when creating a tossed salad, and this is best achieved through the use of a kitchen appliance known as a salad spinner.

A salad spinner uses the power of centrifugal force to draw out the remaining water in rinsed salad greens. The leaves are loosely packed into an inner basket with open mesh sides. This basket is attached to a central spinning unit placed on a sturdy base. There is also a outer container which captures the water as it is flung out of the greens, and can also serve as a storage or serving bowl for the dried salad greens.

Once the leaves have been placed in the inner basket, the user covers the salad spinning unit with a lid. Depending on the type of salad spinner used, a geared crank could be turned by hand, a pull-string could be pulled several times or a plunger could be pushed down like a child's spinning top. The spinning action forces the water out of the inner basket and against the walls of the outer basket.

Older salad spinners may continue to spin until they lose momentum, but newer models often feature a brake which will stop the spinning action instantly. Once the spinner has stopped completely, the lid can be removed and the dry salad greens placed in a salad bowl for mixing.

While all three types of salad spinners work well, many people seem to prefer the newer models with a pump-action spinner and push-button brake. Overspinning can damage the salad greens and insufficient spinning can leave too much moisture.

Before purchasing a salad spinner, consumers may want to compare all three types of spinners and read customer reviews to make sure they are getting the best value for the price and the best results for the effort.


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