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You’ve Been Using Your Salad Spinner All Wrong But This Trick Will Make All The Difference

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It’s summer, which means we’re kind of desperate for no-cook meals that won’t turn our kitchen into a sauna. That means that we’ve been eating a lot of salad. But is there anything more annoying than rinsing your veggies in a colander for like 10 minutes, only to bite into a crunchy piece of soil that you missed when it’s time for dinner? It’s totally gross, and could even be dangerous, depending on what sorts of bacteria are lurking in the soil. Well, it turns out there’s a better way to wash your veggies and greens, and all you need is a salad spinner.

@testkitchen

You’ve probably been using your salad spinner wrong. #TikTokTaughtMe#TikTokPartner#salad#saladspinner#howto

♬ Peace – Official Sound Studio

We saw this trick on TikTok. For the longest time, we’ve always put our greens in the colander part of our salad spinner, rinsed them off under running water, then put the basket back in the salad spinner before drying. But wait! According to the experts at America’s Test Kitchen, there’s a better way.

OXO Good Grips Large Salad Spinner
$29.99

To really, thoroughly clean your greens (and veggies — it turns out you can also wash everything from fresh herbs to leeks to snap peas in your salad spinner, too), you want to leave the basket in your salad spinner.

Add your veggies, then fill the whole thing up with cold water. Swish around your produce vigorously to rinse off and dislodge any grit, sand, and soil. Then, let everything sit for a minute or two. The dirt will settle at the bottom of the bowl.

OXO Good Grips Little Salad & Herb Spinner
$24.95

Then, lift the basket full of produce out of the bowl, leaving the water behind. Set that aside, drain the dirty water from the salad spinner bowl and give it a quick rinse, then put the basket back in and give everything a spin to dry out.

Cuisinart Salad Spinner
$17.17

You’ll have cleaner produce, and you might even end up saving water, considering how much can go to waste when you’re letting the faucet run.

In search of more summer recipes? Giada De Laurentiis has plenty:

Watch: A 5-Ingredient Grilled Pizza That’s Easier Than Ordering Takeout

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