How To

How to Keep a Salad From Wilting

Contributor
By eHow Contributing Writer
(1 Ratings)

In a perfect world, we would pluck our salad greens fresh from the garden, toss a salad and immediately serve it up crisp and fresh. In our not-so-perfect world, wilting salads are often the norm because we have to buy salad greens days ahead or prepare our salad hours before we actually serve it.

Difficulty: Easy
Instructions
  1. Step 1

    Soak your salad greens in cold water for 30 minutes. Drain them in a colander and then shake off the excess surface water. Alternatively, spin the greens in a salad spinner if you have one. Pat the leaves dry with paper or cloth towels. This draws away the excess moisture that tends to wilt your vegetable leaves.

  2. Step 2

    Wrap the salad greens in dry paper towels and place them in a resealable plastic bag. Squeeze out as much of the air as possible and then seal the bag. Store the bag in your refrigerator's crisper drawer.

  3. Step 3

    Use a serrated knife to prepare your greens for your salad or better yet, gently rip the leaves into bite-size pieces. This causes less damage to the plant cells and helps keep the edges from wilting or browning.

  4. Step 4

    Place your prepared salad in a bowl before you add any dressing. Completely cover it with water and place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it.

  5. Step 5

    Drain the salad just before serving and then toss it with the salad dressing.

  6. Step 6

    Place a dampened paper towel over leftover salad and cover with a tight-fitting lid or plastic wrap. Store it in the fridge.

Tips & Warnings
  • Prepare just enough salad for the day.
  • If you use a salad spinner to dry your vegetables, don't overcrowd it.
  • If your salad greens are already wilting, soak them in icy-cold water and place them in the refrigerator for at least an hour. This hydrates the leaves and crisps them up again.
  • Don't set your refrigerator's temperature at an extremely hot or cold setting. Keep the humidity level low.
  • Don't store your greens with apples, pears, melons or other fruit that emits ethylene, as they will cause the lettuce to turn brown.

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