I wouldn’t make salads without one. I’ve got two right now (a big one and a small one), and this is my second big one.
What’s the next kitchen item you plan to buy?
- Thread starter TastyReuben
- Start date
-
- Tags
- kitchen
badjak
Über Member
My parents had one that you would swing around, preferably not in the kitchen but outside.
I wouldn't mind one of those
I wouldn't mind one of those
SandwichShortOfAPicnic
Legendary Member
One was left in the kitchen in Spain so I ignored it for years and carried on swinging a tea towel around, then one day I was clearing out the cupboard and I realised all the parts were there and thought I’ll give it a whirl.
Yeah, maybe should have succumbed to it’s bulky charms a bit earlier
blades
Über Member
We have two spinners that my wife bought. I have never used them. I just wash things and flip off the water over sink. Not very creative, I guess.
Not sure why I’ve spent my life avoiding buying a salad spinner, I think it’s because my mum disliked them
Anyway thanks to kaneohegirlinaz quick kimchi cucumber recipe soon they’ll be no more swinging a tea towel full of wet lettuce leaves around the kitchen
View attachment 120924
I hate them. They take up too much cupboard space and my view is that patting salad ingredients dry is just as good. I used to have one back in the 70's and I hated it then. You end up with the basket and wet outer container which you then have to decide whether to wash or simply dry and put away.
The one you show above, I don't really understand. The type I am familiar with is a basket which spins inside an outer casing to catch the water. How does this one work?
SandwichShortOfAPicnic
Legendary Member
AGREED take up too much cupboard space and the washing up part is just meh!
It’s the inner basket part of a spinner that you put your salady stuff to wash it.
Then the basket twists 90 degrees and placed in the sink it spins leaving the water splattered in the sink.
It can be used as a straight forward colander and apparently the handle goes inside so you can store it inside your normal bowls.
Plus it can go in the dishwasher.
So for a tenner I’ll give it a go!
S'pose... I remain to be convinced. But TastyReuben is the salad spinner officianado. He has two! How do you deal with washing them and the cupboard space issue TastyReuben?
Thing is, I rarely wash salad leaves anyway unless they are particularly dirty looking. And I often buy pre-washed bagged salad in any case. For the cucumber kimchi I would use kitchen paper to get the exessive moisture off I think.
SandwichShortOfAPicnic
Legendary Member
Kitchen towel or a boil washed tea towel have alway been my go to.
But to not wash salad leaves HELL NO.
A huge source of food poisoning and death from food poisoning is from salad.
Especially as the majority are grown in countries with plenty of sunshine not enough water, they use grey water (at best).
The pre-wash salad stuff I buy I don’t wash but I’m not that keen on chlorine dipped salad either.
I don't think the lettuce I buy is from outside the UK. Must check. I generally buy little gem because it keeps well and the inner leaves certainly don't need washing. That would take forever and defeat the object of having wedges of little gem.
SandwichShortOfAPicnic
Legendary Member
Yer, gem lettuce I don’t wash the very centre of.
Most lettuce is from Spain, although often labelled ‘produce of more than one country’ just to make sure you have no idea what you’re buying
The majority of our salad vegetables are from Spain.
What some of the farmers out there are having to resort to with the current water restrictions doesn’t bear worth thinking about
Simple - once the leaves have been spun dry, I just rinse both bowls. Then I spin-dry the inner bowl, dump out the excess, and a quick wipe with paper towel or dish towel to dry the outer bowl.
Every third salad or so, I’ll add some hot soapy water, spin it several times, then rinse like above.
For storage, I’ll have to take a pic, because you won’t believe it until I show you. Later…
Here it is:
This is a very odd arrangement, I know, but with the issues I have with my hand and shoulder, it’s what I found works best - I can reach each component one at a time and handle it all with one hand.
I have the lids inverted like that so the bowls get some air circulation.
msmofet
🌹 🍉 Still trying to get it right.
I've got one exactly the same. We don't use it very much, to be honest; only when we've got a lot of guests (rather than the 3 of us) and want to do green salad. I just rub it quickly with a soapy sponge then rinse; not a problem. However, in a British kitchen, there's usually far less space. I haven't got that problem.
Today my wife told me what she wanted for Xmas and I told her I needed a proper food processor. We agreed, for once 
The processor I've got is too slow, and I absolutely need one which will grate 5 kilos of green mango into thin slices, in less than 5 minutes. Or grinds soaked peas into a mist to make vadas. Or utterly destroys chickpeas so I can make enough falafel for a whole year.
Now I have to go out and look for one, but that's not such a big deal.
The processor I've got is too slow, and I absolutely need one which will grate 5 kilos of green mango into thin slices, in less than 5 minutes. Or grinds soaked peas into a mist to make vadas. Or utterly destroys chickpeas so I can make enough falafel for a whole year.
Now I have to go out and look for one, but that's not such a big deal.