How to Wash Lettuce

Everyone would benefit by eating more salad, but it's hard to get excited about it when the dressing slides off, thanks to dripping wet lettuce. However, washing lettuce thoroughly is important to rid the leaves of dirt and pesticides. By following a few simple steps, you'll have a clean, dry, tasty salad every time.

Things You'll Need

• Strainer

Instructions

1. Separate the number of lettuce leaves you want to eat from the head of lettuce.

2. Shred the lettuce into bite-sized pieces using your fingertips. Be gentle to avoid bruising the leaves.

3. Place the pieces of lettuce into the strainer and run them under cold water.

4. Toss the lettuce with your hand as you rinse it.

5. Turn off the water and shake the strainer. Move it back and forth and up and down to get out as much excess water as possible.

6. Leave the strainer on the counter for several minutes to let any remaining water drip out.

7. Grab the lettuce out of the strainer with both hands, giving it a quick shake before you put it in the salad bowl.

Tips & Warnings

• To skip washing entirely, purchase pre-washed lettuce or spinach for your salads--though this is usually a more expensive option than buying lettuce and washing it on your own.

• Watch for rocks or other small debris that sometimes lurks in a head of lettuce.