Salad spinner efficiency?
October 6, 2022 10:32 PM Subscribe
How dry should a salad spinner be getting leaves? Is this user error or are they always going to be kind of damp?
I'm used to buying bags of pre-washed baby spinach and throwing handfuls into whatever I'm making. I live close to a market and I'm trying to buy more from there and less from the supermarket, which means buying loose baby spinach leaves and washing them in bulk at home so I can still grab and go without thinking too much about it.
I bought an OXO salad spinner. I filled the basket so it's full but not packed, rinsed the leaves and put the basket in the bowl. I pressed the top 4-5 times so it was spinning at its fastest, waited for the spinning to stop, took out the basket and then tipped out whatever water was left in the bowl. I repeated this process a bunch of times. After the first couple of rounds there wasn't really any water to tip out, but the leaves were still wet. I gave up around the 5th round of this, with a basket of spinach that didn't drip any water if I shook it, but with leaves that had visible little water droplets on them and were damp to the touch.
I looked at a few videos online but no one really talks about how long you need to be spinning the salad or how dry the salad should be after its been spun. Is this normal? Am I meant to store the spinach damp? Or more likely, am I doing this all wrong somehow?
I'm used to buying bags of pre-washed baby spinach and throwing handfuls into whatever I'm making. I live close to a market and I'm trying to buy more from there and less from the supermarket, which means buying loose baby spinach leaves and washing them in bulk at home so I can still grab and go without thinking too much about it.
I bought an OXO salad spinner. I filled the basket so it's full but not packed, rinsed the leaves and put the basket in the bowl. I pressed the top 4-5 times so it was spinning at its fastest, waited for the spinning to stop, took out the basket and then tipped out whatever water was left in the bowl. I repeated this process a bunch of times. After the first couple of rounds there wasn't really any water to tip out, but the leaves were still wet. I gave up around the 5th round of this, with a basket of spinach that didn't drip any water if I shook it, but with leaves that had visible little water droplets on them and were damp to the touch.
I looked at a few videos online but no one really talks about how long you need to be spinning the salad or how dry the salad should be after its been spun. Is this normal? Am I meant to store the spinach damp? Or more likely, am I doing this all wrong somehow?
Best answer: It shouldn't be that much work. I have the Ikea salad spinner and one pass consisting of a few seconds of fast twirling leaves my salad pretty much dry - no obvious water droplets visible. I tip out the water in the main container and then put the whole thing into the fridge as is - my leaves stay good for ages.
I fill the basket but don't pack it in tight - perhaps split your spinach into two or three smaller batches and check the result?
posted by ninazer0 at 10:47 PM on October 6, 2022
I fill the basket but don't pack it in tight - perhaps split your spinach into two or three smaller batches and check the result?
posted by ninazer0 at 10:47 PM on October 6, 2022
Honestly the spinner is usually about half full when I use it. Afterward it's usually got a little sheen of water clinging to the leaves but not droplets.
posted by Lady Li at 11:23 PM on October 6, 2022
posted by Lady Li at 11:23 PM on October 6, 2022
They will always be a big moist to the touch but you can usually get them free of droplets. I have an oxo spinner and I like it a lot, but like the comments above, I put less in the spinner, and do multiple batches if I need to. But also, spinach doesn’t need to be drained dry, especially if you’re adding it to something wet, like curry or soup or basically anything cooked.
If you need to drain excess moisture you will get way more out by steaming it or boiling briefly and then squeezing it out between your hands than by drying it when it’s raw, as most of the water in spinach is inside the leaf itself. You can wash it, drain off the water briefly, microwave it covered with whatever water is left to steam it, and squeeze it to get maximum liquid removal with minimum work. Wrap it in a towel after letting it cool so you can handle it easily while squeezing.
For other greens you definitely want raw and dry, do batches in the spinner about twice, and set them on a kitchen towel, pat dry. If it’s something like curly kale or another thing where the structure means water will get trapped, make your dressing stronger and more concentrated than you normally would and the water will balance it out.
posted by Mizu at 11:58 PM on October 6, 2022
If you need to drain excess moisture you will get way more out by steaming it or boiling briefly and then squeezing it out between your hands than by drying it when it’s raw, as most of the water in spinach is inside the leaf itself. You can wash it, drain off the water briefly, microwave it covered with whatever water is left to steam it, and squeeze it to get maximum liquid removal with minimum work. Wrap it in a towel after letting it cool so you can handle it easily while squeezing.
For other greens you definitely want raw and dry, do batches in the spinner about twice, and set them on a kitchen towel, pat dry. If it’s something like curly kale or another thing where the structure means water will get trapped, make your dressing stronger and more concentrated than you normally would and the water will balance it out.
posted by Mizu at 11:58 PM on October 6, 2022
Maybe this guide to storing fresh produce from Serious Eats can be useful for you?
I have the cheapest spinner I could find, and my produce dries completely, no drops. But as others have said, I don't put a lot of veg in it at a time, and if I'm making for more than two or three people, or for a main course rather than a side, I wash the greens in a bowl and dry them between clean kitchen towels.
posted by mumimor at 2:31 AM on October 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
I have the cheapest spinner I could find, and my produce dries completely, no drops. But as others have said, I don't put a lot of veg in it at a time, and if I'm making for more than two or three people, or for a main course rather than a side, I wash the greens in a bowl and dry them between clean kitchen towels.
posted by mumimor at 2:31 AM on October 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Don't wait for the spinning to stop, press the button on top to make it stop fast. That forces more water off too, I think.
posted by CheeseLouise at 3:17 AM on October 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by CheeseLouise at 3:17 AM on October 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
I recently helped my parents with this exact issue. I watched them use the spinner and saw they skipped a step i habitually do. After the first spins open the container, remove the basket and shake the spinach or lettuce around. This moves the dried greens from the edge and gives wetter ones a turn to dry on the next spin.
posted by Phyllis keeps a tight rein at 4:13 AM on October 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Phyllis keeps a tight rein at 4:13 AM on October 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
Throw a paper towel in when you store them, and change out the paper towel when it gets damp. I do this with my berries, too.
(Concerned about waste? You can still reuse the damp paper towel for wiping up messes, etc.)
posted by phunniemee at 5:03 AM on October 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
(Concerned about waste? You can still reuse the damp paper towel for wiping up messes, etc.)
posted by phunniemee at 5:03 AM on October 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I put the still damp spinach in a produce bag with a couple of sheets of paper towel in it, so I'm hoping that's helped with this batch.
I did shake and kind of stir the leaves but it was definitely a few layers deep to the basket sides. Sounds like I need to do much smaller batches in the spinner and see how that goes. Thanks everyone.
posted by Adifferentbear at 6:05 AM on October 7, 2022
I did shake and kind of stir the leaves but it was definitely a few layers deep to the basket sides. Sounds like I need to do much smaller batches in the spinner and see how that goes. Thanks everyone.
posted by Adifferentbear at 6:05 AM on October 7, 2022
Concerned about waste? You can still reuse the damp paper towel for wiping up messes, etc.
Or buy and reuse flour sack towels, which are good for this purpose. I struggle with this too, Adifferentbear, and I usually find myself applying said flour sack towels.
posted by praemunire at 9:12 AM on October 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Or buy and reuse flour sack towels, which are good for this purpose. I struggle with this too, Adifferentbear, and I usually find myself applying said flour sack towels.
posted by praemunire at 9:12 AM on October 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
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The water-flinging forces are highest at the edge, away from the center. Is it so packed that some spinach leaves only reach halfway from center to edge?
The spinner works best if most of the leaves get a chance to be up against the basket side walls, so they've all had the benefit of maximum velocity.
If not, you're going to need a bigger spinner.
posted by dum spiro spero at 10:44 PM on October 6, 2022 [2 favorites]