I like very clean dishtowels that have been sanitized and washing separtely from any other laundry...I used to have special cotton towels(grainbag type) that I used in my catering business.
My brother has a phobia of kitchen gadgets. He also has a wonderful vegetable garden. He'll go outside, pick his salad greens, rinse them in his "vegetable bucket" and place them gently into a linen or muslin pillowcase. He then spins them dry manually. It works beautifully even with the most delicate greens and herbs.
To store our lettuces, we've always wrapped them in tea towels and then placed them into a plastic tub. They stay perfectly fresh for a long time.
I love the manual spinning method, but it's not very practical here in my little urban dwelling. I will however be giving it a try the next time we stay in a cottage up north. Thank you!
I basically do what scruz mentioned although I use clean old tea towels for wrapping the lettuce. I might change the linens once or twice a week. Like scruz, I am buying my lettuces at the local farmers market, they can last 2+ weeks this way with no sliminess and little browning.
If individual leaves still have some moisture on them, I may pat them dry with a paper towel or two, but that's it.
I've dried lettuce in tea towels the same day I'm making a salad with them, but haven't stored them in the refrigerator this way. Thanks for the tip. Regarding farmers markets... I have some beautiful lettuces I bought at the farmers market on Saturday. I've been making a salad a day. I don't know what I'd do without our farmers markets.
Oh yes, just remembered...if I'm going to use linens (any towels or pillowcases) to dry vegetables, I prefer to use those laundered without scented detergents or dryer sheets.
i have finally realized joanne weir is correct...wash your greens when you get home. i do this now and then wrap in paper towels and put in plastic bags in fridge. by the time i use the lettuce leaves (romaine or bib in my house) they are dried by the paper towels but still crisp and wonderfully clean. all i do then is cut up with kitchen knife. and since i prepare salad right before eating there is no browning of the cut surfaces. i've even put the cut up lettuce in salad spinner in the fridge and it is as fresh and unbrown as the day before. i do get my lettuce at the farmers market so it is really fresh. i do notice that when i shred iceberg lettuce with a knife, it can brown if not served quickly.
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To store our lettuces, we've always wrapped them in tea towels and then placed them into a plastic tub. They stay perfectly fresh for a long time.
If individual leaves still have some moisture on them, I may pat them dry with a paper towel or two, but that's it.