One more reason to avoid bagged lettuce http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/01/12510546-listeria-fears-trigger-recall-of-2598-cases-of-dole-salad?lite
Listeria is one that can actually kill you. You may remember the outbreak connected to melons last year.
FYI: Greens, and especially herbs last much longer in the fridge stored in the spinner after thoroughly cleaning (I have 3). Petitblue is correct about stemming & pairing before washing– this significantly changes the awkward amount of space a hefty bunch of greens occupies in your fridge. You are now probably wondering about the amount of space 2 salad spinners occupy in the fridge. The answer is yes... and it's worth it.
You can also put the greens in a clean pillow case and then do a rinse-and-spin in the washing machine.
@pierino - thanks. Found this article from Consumer Reports (2010) which recommends washing again.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2010/march/recalls-and-safety-alerts/bagged-salad/index.htm
Yeah, the washer method is kinda weird...But it's a old method when you're doing a 'mess o green'.
remember it's 'grandmother' stuff and things 'salad spinners' didn't exist, so they used what they had on hand. And frankly, for a big bunch of collards or mustard greens I still do that. You got a big ol 'green spiner' in the laundry room, use it. maybe run it with bleach to get rid of any soap stuff. (modern products) before putting the greens. It frees up the sink for washing a large batch.
And for soap residue...bleach and white vinegar cleans and dissolves all the soap..
Then rinse it and put in the greens. (and if you have a fabric softener dongle all bets are off).
Couldn't be worse than industrial washed factory bagged salads. (g).
wow.. I wasn't even sure you were actually talking about a laundry machine washer until after this post. I can just see brand new washers being installed in restaurant kitchens for only salad washing purposes.
Sam - I have to tell you, I've never heard of this method! It made me crack up laughing to think of all those greens spinning around!! Frankly, I'd be a little concerned about detergent residue in the washing machine -- no idea if I should be concerned, but I would be nonetheless. Loved the visual however! :)))) Thanks for sharing! (and, FWIW, I'm a dump them in a sink filled with cool water, swish around a bit, drain and spin in salad spinner kinda gal. I know the "rinse-repeat" until there is no dirt in the bottom of the sink is the correct answer, but I admit to doing only a single rinse/swish more often than not).
No pegeen it doesn't actually remove e-coli completely unless you cook the greens. But the so-called "triple wash" process spreads it and allows it to multiply. In other words if you start with one lettuce from a part of the field that's contaminated, when it's broken up it can spread to other heads that are being bagged together at the same time. There have been traceable outbreaks tied to this practice.
The best way to wash greens. Is soak them a bit in about a quart or more of water and a few table spoons of white vinegar.
Now for collards and greens with sand in them...the old traditional method here is to use the washing machine. Fill it with water, add a cup of white vinegar and move them around by hand.
Fill it again with water and let it spin dry. (futz with the controls so it doesn't use the agitator in the machine which bruises the greens---if you can do that now with overriding the 'smart' logic on modern washer).
For something like collards or chard, I like to chop them before I wash them. It makes them more manageable. I wash them by filling the bowl part of my salad spinner with cool water, immersing and swirling the leaves, and then draining and spinning the leaves dry. I do this until the water is clean, which sometimes takes a few washes. And I agree about the pre-washed stuff. It also seems to get slimy much faster in those bags. You're better off buying a "dirty" head of lettuce, washing it, and keeping any leftovers in a zip-top bag with a paper towel in the bottom.
11 Comments
Listeria is one that can actually kill you. You may remember the outbreak connected to melons last year.
@pierino - thanks. Found this article from Consumer Reports (2010) which recommends washing again.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2010/march/recalls-and-safety-alerts/bagged-salad/index.htm
remember it's 'grandmother' stuff and things 'salad spinners' didn't exist, so they used what they had on hand. And frankly, for a big bunch of collards or mustard greens I still do that. You got a big ol 'green spiner' in the laundry room, use it. maybe run it with bleach to get rid of any soap stuff. (modern products) before putting the greens. It frees up the sink for washing a large batch.
And for soap residue...bleach and white vinegar cleans and dissolves all the soap..
Then rinse it and put in the greens. (and if you have a fabric softener dongle all bets are off).
Couldn't be worse than industrial washed factory bagged salads. (g).
Now for collards and greens with sand in them...the old traditional method here is to use the washing machine. Fill it with water, add a cup of white vinegar and move them around by hand.
Fill it again with water and let it spin dry. (futz with the controls so it doesn't use the agitator in the machine which bruises the greens---if you can do that now with overriding the 'smart' logic on modern washer).