Washing your greens is the first step in creating a delicious salad that is safe to eat. Fresh salad greens from farmer's markets and grocery stores may host foodborne illnesses, insects, and even loose soil, so it is crucial to thoroughly wash and dry greens prior to eating.
Ever take a big bite of a refreshing salad—only to feel grit between your teeth? Yuck. If not rinsed properly, salad greens can carry a lot of dirt, sand and other contaminants that you do not want to eat.
Washing leafy greens does not remove all germs. That's because germs can stick to the surface of leaves and even get inside them. If you eat contaminated leafy greens without cooking them first, such as in a salad or on a sandwich, you might get sick.
Yes, it's important to wash all fresh produce, but especially leafy greens and lettuce. Harmful bacteria from the soil can contaminate fruits and vegetables and lead to a foodborne illness if consumed. There's a higher risk associated with produce that is eaten raw, like romaine lettuce and salad greens.
Whether you're using romaine lettuce, butter lettuce, or iceberg lettuce, greens will taste and look better if you wash and dry them properly. Washing lettuce also helps to prevent the leaves from wilting prematurely.
Wash all leafy green vegetables, including pre-bagged greens under cold running tap water. For leafy vegetables, such as lettuce and cabbage, remove the outer leaves first. Throw away any wilted or discoloured leaves.
Most produce in restaurants (greens included) should be washed upon reception, especially those that will be served raw. When it comes to salad greens, they are typically rinsed in a large container of water (frequently a clean sink), then spun dry in an industrial-size salad spinner.
Packaged salads should be safe for consumption because their production must follow food safety practices. 2. Sometimes, packaged salads could be contaminated with harmful microorganisms. But that DOES NOT mean all of them are contaminated.
In a word, no. According to James Rogers, Ph. D., director of Food Safety and Research at Consumer Reports, if E. coli (or any other type of bacteria that can cause food poisoning) is present in your produce, washing it won't remove all of those organisms.
Is It Better to Store Lettuce Washed or Unwashed? Head lettuce, such as iceberg and romaine, keeps fresh longer when it remains attached to the head and unwashed. Rinse the leaves only when you are ready to use them.
So producers wash their greens before they bag them. "Many pre-cut, bagged, or packaged produce items are pre-washed and ready-to-eat," according to the FDA.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says washing your produce under running water can prevent you from becoming infected with food-borne illnesses like norovirus, which is the country's leading cause of disease outbreaks from contaminated food.
"Let things soak," says Ms Schneideman, whose first job in a restaurant was solely to wash salad. "Submerge it in cold water and leave it there for up to 20 minutes to let the soil particles come loose, then take it out and rinse it again," she adds.
You can wash your lettuce before or after storing it in the refrigerator. If you wash the lettuce before storage, place a paper towel in the plastic bag or reusable container, which can absorb excess moisture, preventing your lettuce from turning soggy and extending the shelf life.
Place a clean dish towel or paper towels over a rimmed baking sheet (or just right on your table). Spread the leaves over the towel and let them air dry for about half an hour or or so. That's it. If they're extra wet, you can blot them a bit with another towel before leaving them to air dry.
Pay Attention to the Use-By Date: Eat the lettuce as early as possible, and for sure earlier than the use-by date, in order to limit the time in which bacteria can multiply. Avoid Bags with Mushy/Slimy Leaves or Swollen Bags: These are all clues that there is a “bacteria party” going on!
With a salad spinner, this entire process is way less of a hassle. Starting with clean hands, dump the bag of greens into your salad spinner basket and fill the whole tub with cold water (if you don't have a salad spinner, you can use a large bowl for washing and place a large colander inside for easy draining).
The easiest way to clean your greens is to agitate and soak them in a large quantity of water. At the restaurant, that meant filling 10-gallon sinks with cold water to soak 20 heads of lettuce at a time. At home, just fill a large bowl or your kitchen sink.
You can wash them off, but it may take a bit of extra time. They don't come off with a simple rinse in water because they adhere to the surface of the plants. So you have to swish them around in cold water that has a pinch of salt (or a drop of soap) in it.
Swish Greens in Cool Water
Fill a large bowl or a clean sink with plenty of cool water. Add the lettuce or greens and swish them around to loosen and remove any dirt. Dirt and debris will sink to the bottom while the greens will magically float above all that mess.
Indeed, many (though not all) food safety specialists advise against washing bagged lettuce or spinach. Why? First, because there's a good chance that if bacteria managed to survive commercial-scale washing with chlorinated water in the processing plant, a lot of them will survive your home washing, too.
But knowing how to wash lettuce is important for food safety. Just as meat and poultry can contain pathogens that can make you sick, fruits and vegetables can be a source of foodborne illness. Washing greens before eating is a way to keep yourself safe.
The Rule is: Lettuce is washed in cold Water!
Pluck lettuce and wash it quite quickly in cold water, change the water several times if it is very dirty. The process should be completed in a maximum of 10 minutes.