How to Keep Lettuce and Salads Fresh for Weeks

Salads are simple to prepare, delicious and nutritious, and when stored properly can be munched on for days. However, when you don't store lettuce properly, it quickly wilts, turns soft and brown and is unappealing. Knowing how to keep lettuce and salads fresh saves you money and trips to the grocery store.

Things You'll Need

• Paper towels
• Zip-seal bags
• Plastic knife (optional)
• Plastic bowls with tight-fitting lids

Instructions

1. Wash your lettuce thoroughly when you bring it home from the store. Pat the leaves dry as much as possible with a paper towel. Place the lettuce in a zip-seal bag in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator.

2. Store bags of lettuce apart from other fruits and vegetables, as rubbing against other produce can easily bruise the lettuce and cause it to go bad more quickly. You can even add air to the zip-seal bag if you like to create a cushion. Drain water from the lettuce storage bag as soon as you notice moisture collecting at the bottom.

3. Make sure your crisper drawer is at the correct temperature. While the drawer should be noticeably cooler than the rest of the fridge, it should not show signs of freezing. As a rule, set your refrigerator at the lowest possible setting and adjust the temperature according to how full it is.

4. Tear lettuce by hand, or cut it with a plastic knife instead of metal cutlery. Greens cut with metal begin to wilt along the cut edges far more quickly than torn or plastic-cut lettuce.

5. Keep your salads fresher longer by mixing them in plastic bowls, placing a damp paper towel gently on top of the salad and then covering the bowl with an airtight lid. For best results, store salad bases only, adding dressing, oil, lemon juice and fruits when you are ready to eat. Most cut vegetables can be stored with the salad base.

Tips & Warnings

• Purchase cut lettuce only if you plan to use it quickly, as the greens are usually cut with metal knives.