Salad Preparation

Quoted message said:

If making a regular old green salad with iceberg lettuce, do you
wash/rinse your lettuce? Why or why not?

I could never get the "restaurant salad bar" taste at home and I
asked myself, what do restaurants do that I don't? They usually
wash/soak they're lettuce, for starters.

I only just started recently washing lettuce and I think it
actually tastes better that way. Or is that just a psychological
thing?

-sw

A spinner really helps to dry and crisp up greens. Also keep it cold and if
you can serve on a cooled plate.

Larry T

Steve Wertz said:

If making a regular old green salad with iceberg lettuce, do you
wash/rinse your lettuce? Why or why not?

I could never get the "restaurant salad bar" taste at home and I
asked myself, what do restaurants do that I don't? They usually
wash/soak they're lettuce, for starters.

I only just started recently washing lettuce and I think it
actually tastes better that way. Or is that just a psychological
thing?

-sw

why wouldn't you wash lettuce? It's full of dirt and bugs, seriously.

--

saerah

http://anisaerah.cmayes.net/blog/

"This morning, I woke up
Feeling brand new and I jumped up
Feeling my highs, and my lows
In my soul, and my goals
Just to stop smokin, and stop drinkin
And I've been thinkin - I've got my reasons
Just to get by, just to get by" -Talib Kweli

sarah bennett said:

why wouldn't you wash lettuce? It's full of dirt and bugs, seriously.

I don't care about the dirt and bugs, it's the taste.

I've never seen a bug or dirt on my iceberg. Dirt on romaine,
sure, but iceburg? Nah.

-sw

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I don't care about the dirt and bugs, it's the taste.

I've never seen a bug or dirt on my iceberg. Dirt on romaine,
sure, but iceburg? Nah.

That's my experience, iceberg heads are so tight that dirt and critters
rarely make it past the first couple of layers. But if you ask me, the
"secret" of a really good salad is to never use iceberg. It is tasteless
and serves only as a vehicle for getting dressing to your mouth. There
are so many tasty lettuces and other greens to use.

--
Peter Aitken
Visit my recipe and kitchen myths pages at www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

sarah bennett said:

why wouldn't you wash lettuce? It's full of dirt and bugs, seriously.

I don't care about the dirt and bugs, it's the taste.

I've never seen a bug or dirt on my iceberg. Dirt on romaine,
sure, but iceburg? Nah.

-sw

First of all, if you don't care about dirt & bugs, why bother washing the
lettuce? And, iceberg has less taste than almost any other kind of lettuce,
except for the outermost leaves which are darker because they've been
exposed to sunlight. Iceberg's also almost totally devoid of nutrients,
compared with darker varieties like romaine. But, that's not the issue here.

Onward: The best way to wash lettuce is to fill a salad spinner with the
coldest water I can get from the tap and soak it for a couple of minutes.
Then, lift out the basket, dump the water, rinse any dirt out of the bowl,
replace the basket, and spin it. Curlier lettuce, like iceberg, will have
lots of water trapped in crevices. Depending on the position of the chunks,
you'll probably have to rearrange them and spin again.

The restaurant taste you mentioned could be due to the fact that they've got
fresher lettuce. Many restaurants order smaller quantities than
supermarkets.

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
says...

Quoted message said:

Onward: The best way to wash lettuce is to fill a salad spinner with the
coldest water I can get from the tap and soak it for a couple of minutes.
Then, lift out the basket, dump the water, rinse any dirt out of the bowl,
replace the basket, and spin it.

I must disagree with this. If you lift the lettuce out of the water with
the spinner some grit can get trapped. It's better to immerse the
lettuce in cold water in a separate container, agitate so that grit
settles to the bottom, then lift the lettuce out and into the spinner
basket.

--
Peter Aitken
Visit my recipe and kitchen myths pages at www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm

Quoted message said:

The restaurant taste you mentioned could be due to the fact that they've
got fresher lettuce. Many restaurants order smaller quantities than
supermarkets.

Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Pet peeve of mine is discolored
lettuce on a salad bar (or plate for that matter) Makes me think they don't
care about freshness.

Larry T

Steve Wertz said:

If making a regular old green salad with iceberg lettuce, do you
wash/rinse your lettuce? Why or why not?

I could never get the "restaurant salad bar" taste at home and I
asked myself, what do restaurants do that I don't? They usually
wash/soak they're lettuce, for starters.

I only just started recently washing lettuce and I think it
actually tastes better that way. Or is that just a psychological
thing?

-sw

I knew your screws were loose .. this post proves it. Iceburg is like
you.. no taste! lol

In article <[email hidden]>,

Steve Wertz said:

If making a regular old green salad with iceberg lettuce, do you
wash/rinse your lettuce? Why or why not?

I strip a couple outer leaves then smack the core against the inside of
the sink wall to loosen in. I run water into the loosened head and
drain it for a while before bagging with a paper towel and refrigerating.
Why? Seems like the Right Thing to do.
FWIW.

--
-Barb
<http://jamlady.eboard.com> Updated 5/8/06, Festival of Nations.
"If it's not worth doing to excess, it's not worth doing at all."

"LT" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The restaurant taste you mentioned could be due to the fact that they've
got fresher lettuce. Many restaurants order smaller quantities than
supermarkets.

Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Pet peeve of mine is
discolored lettuce on a salad bar (or plate for that matter) Makes me
think they don't care about freshness.

Larry T

When lettuce is torn and that pink stuff is at the torn edge, IMO that is a
pink mold similar to the pink mold you will see in tofu. It doesn't matter
what it is, when I've eaten lettuce with that pink stuff on the edge from a
restaurant or from a bought bag of torn lettuce, I get sick -- I just don't
do either anymore.
Dee Dee

"Peter A" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
says...

Quoted message said:

Onward: The best way to wash lettuce is to fill a salad spinner with the
coldest water I can get from the tap and soak it for a couple of minutes.
Then, lift out the basket, dump the water, rinse any dirt out of the
bowl,
replace the basket, and spin it.

I must disagree with this. If you lift the lettuce out of the water with
the spinner some grit can get trapped. It's better to immerse the
lettuce in cold water in a separate container, agitate so that grit
settles to the bottom, then lift the lettuce out and into the spinner
basket.

Actually, I repeat the dunking 2-3 times, depending on the type of lettuce,
and how much dirt settles out the first time. I also swish the lettuce
around. I didn't want to make my explanation too complicated. Anyone who
really needs instructions for this....never mind. I'm in a polite mood
today.

"LT" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The restaurant taste you mentioned could be due to the fact that they've
got fresher lettuce. Many restaurants order smaller quantities than
supermarkets.

Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Pet peeve of mine is
discolored lettuce on a salad bar (or plate for that matter) Makes me
think they don't care about freshness.

Larry T

Nothing is always the case.

"Melba's Jammin'" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Steve Wertz said:

If making a regular old green salad with iceberg lettuce, do you
wash/rinse your lettuce? Why or why not?

I strip a couple outer leaves then smack the core against the inside of
the sink wall to loosen in. I run water into the loosened head and
drain it for a while before bagging with a paper towel and refrigerating.
Why? Seems like the Right Thing to do.
FWIW.

Actually, it's the wrong thing to do. Trapped water will accelerate rotting.
If you've been successful, it's because you've used the stuff up quickly.

Steve Wertz said:

If making a regular old green salad with iceberg lettuce, do you
wash/rinse your lettuce? Why or why not?

I could never get the "restaurant salad bar" taste at home and I
asked myself, what do restaurants do that I don't? They usually
wash/soak they're lettuce, for starters.

I only just started recently washing lettuce and I think it
actually tastes better that way. Or is that just a psychological
thing?

-sw

I don't wash it. Just remove the outer leaves. It's
a pain to get rid of the water if you wash it. So I quit
doing it and I haven't died yet. But then maybe I don't
eat enough lettuce for it to kill me. I don't see any
really good reason to wash it. It doesn't have dirt or
sand in between the leaves like leeks or romaine do.

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?
[email hidden]

Peter A said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I don't care about the dirt and bugs, it's the taste.

I've never seen a bug or dirt on my iceberg. Dirt on romaine,
sure, but iceburg? Nah.

That's my experience, iceberg heads are so tight that dirt and critters
rarely make it past the first couple of layers. But if you ask me, the
"secret" of a really good salad is to never use iceberg. It is > tasteless

I disagree that it is tasteless. It is very mildly flavored but
it is not tasteless. And I prefer the texture. Also, I don't
like the "grassy" taste of leaf lettuce. Romaine is okay but the
outer ends of the leaves are too green and not crispy enough for
me.

Quoted message said:

and serves only as a vehicle for getting dressing to your mouth. There
are so many tasty lettuces and other greens to use.

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?
[email hidden]

"Kate Connally" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

I disagree that it is tasteless. It is very mildly flavored but
it is not tasteless. And I prefer the texture.

I usually use romaine (I get the bags of hearts, I have no use
for those outer overblown leaves), but I happen to like iceberg
as well. I don't find it flavorless, as a matter of fact I will
occasionally have a cross section of it on bread for a sandwich.
I like that and the nice flavor comes through. Remember, there
are people who think filet mignon is flavorless, to each their
own. Probably beet eaters, they.

nancy

Doug Kanter said:

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

sarah bennett said:

why wouldn't you wash lettuce? It's full of dirt and bugs, seriously.

I don't care about the dirt and bugs, it's the taste.

I've never seen a bug or dirt on my iceberg. Dirt on romaine,
sure, but iceburg? Nah.

-sw

First of all, if you don't care about dirt & bugs, why bother washing the
lettuce?

Because it tastes different and has a better texture, as I've
just recently found out.

Quoted message said:

And, iceberg has less taste than almost any other kind of lettuce,

As Kate mentiopned, iceberg has the best texture. Romaine hearts
are my second choice. I don't care for limp lettuces. Note that
lettuce only makes up half, by volume, of most of the salads I
make. Caesar is usually the exception.

Quoted message said:

Onward: The best way to wash lettuce is to fill a salad spinner with the
coldest water I can get from the tap and soak it for a couple of minutes.

I don't think I'll ever do the salad spinner thing. I just use a
collander and rinse for a minute in cold water, then shake it
occasionally while I assemble the rest of the salad.

I don't need another kitchen gadget.

-sw

On Wed 10 May 2006 01:21:17p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Steve
Wertz?

Quoted message said:

Doug Kanter said:

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Wed, 10 May 2006 13:26:54 GMT, sarah bennett wrote:

> why wouldn't you wash lettuce? It's full of dirt and bugs, seriously.

I don't care about the dirt and bugs, it's the taste.

I've never seen a bug or dirt on my iceberg. Dirt on romaine, sure,
but iceburg? Nah.

-sw

First of all, if you don't care about dirt & bugs, why bother washing
the lettuce?

Because it tastes different and has a better texture, as I've
just recently found out.

Quoted message said:

And, iceberg has less taste than almost any other kind of lettuce,

As Kate mentiopned, iceberg has the best texture. Romaine hearts
are my second choice. I don't care for limp lettuces. Note that
lettuce only makes up half, by volume, of most of the salads I
make. Caesar is usually the exception.

Quoted message said:

Onward: The best way to wash lettuce is to fill a salad spinner with
the coldest water I can get from the tap and soak it for a couple of
minutes.

I don't think I'll ever do the salad spinner thing. I just use a
collander and rinse for a minute in cold water, then shake it
occasionally while I assemble the rest of the salad.

I don't need another kitchen gadget.

I wash all salad greens, as well as fresh parsley, coriander, mint, etc.,
but I do use a salad spinner for all of them. It's fast and extracts
virtually all the water. It was worth having an extra gadget.

--

Wayne Boatwright
_____________________________________________________________

"How can a nation be great if it's bread taste like Kleenex?"

Julia Child

Steve Wertz said:

sarah bennett said:

why wouldn't you wash lettuce? It's full of dirt and bugs, seriously.

I don't care about the dirt and bugs, it's the taste.

I've never seen a bug or dirt on my iceberg. Dirt on romaine,
sure, but iceburg? Nah.

-sw

Iceberg isn't lettuce. It's a fiberless, tasteless lettuce-like vegetable.
🙂

--

saerah

http://anisaerah.cmayes.net/blog/

"This morning, I woke up
Feeling brand new and I jumped up
Feeling my highs, and my lows
In my soul, and my goals
Just to stop smokin, and stop drinkin
And I've been thinkin - I've got my reasons
Just to get by, just to get by" -Talib Kweli