Salad Preparation

In article <[email hidden]>,

Steve Wertz said:

Kate Connally said:

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.

Thank you for being honest :-) I'd knew I'd take some flack for
saying I'd never washed lettuce, and for using iceberg. I've
been here for plenty of iceberg poo-pooing.

I suspect there's plenty of people who don't want to admit they
don't wash iceberg.

-sw

I never did... After removing a few of the outer leaves, the inside is
perfectly clean.

But, I personally prefer Boston butter lettuce, and have been springing
for the "live" hydroponic heads. They can live as long as a month in the
Hobart as long as I keep water in the root well.

I don't eat a lot of salads.
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a [censored]"
-- Jack Nicholson

Kate Connally said:

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.

Thank you for being honest :-) I'd knew I'd take some flack for
saying I'd never washed lettuce, and for using iceberg. I've
been here for plenty of iceberg poo-pooing.

I suspect there's plenty of people who don't want to admit they
don't wash iceberg.

-sw

"Wayne Boatwright" <wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

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]...
> 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

Agreed. Nothing's nastier than a puddle of water in the bottom of a salad. A
salad spinner's a necessity.

Steve Wertz said:

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

Steve, is your question a joke? of course you wash your lettuce, but ice
berg to me, IMO, is about the worst for a green salad. I like a butter
lettuce or a red or green leaf lettuce, ill take romaine if nothing else
is available but i would use spinach greens rather than ice berg.

Quoted message said:

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?

Consider that it grows out side and that there is usually nothing to
stop animals defecating on it, air borne dust, dirt, bacteria & flies
can land on faeces and then on the lettuce, the hands that pick the
lettuce could have just been to the toilet, and then there are whatever
pesticides and other chemicals and bacteria it can acquire in the
journey from the farm to your table.

I take a head of red leaf lettuce, a big clump of broccoli, green
onions, tomatoes, sweet red or green bell pepper a couple of mushrooms
(sliced thin) cut them into small dice and toss with garbonzoe beans and
a nice vinaigrette. Occasionally i add some avocado and/or chopped
orange slices.

Often times i will cook a chicken breast, cut into dice and marinate for
20 minutes or so in the vinaigrette before serving with the salad.

It just occurred to me that with a tightly packed ice berg you may not
have as much of a cross contamination problem as you might with one of
the more open heads of lettuce but i would still rinse it.
---
JL

Quoted message said:

-sw

On Wed 10 May 2006 01:33:52p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Steve
Wertz?

Quoted message said:

Kate Connally said:

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.

Thank you for being honest :-) I'd knew I'd take some flack for
saying I'd never washed lettuce, and for using iceberg. I've
been here for plenty of iceberg poo-pooing.

I suspect there's plenty of people who don't want to admit they
don't wash iceberg.

I used to not wash it, Steve, but I also discovered there seemed something
changed about it after it was washed.

I include a fairly minimal amount iceberg in a mixed salad, primarily for
the texture. Where I truly enjoy iceberg is as a wedge or thick slice with
blue cheese dressing. It's also the only lettuce I really like on a
sandwich or burger. Soft lettuces just don't cut it on sandwiches.

--

Wayne Boatwright
_____________________________________________________________

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

Julia Child

In article <[email hidden]>, Wayne
Boatwright <wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com> says...

Quoted message said:

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.

Agreed, the salad spinner is one of the few truly useful gadgets.
Nothing like water on the greens to ruin a salad. Of course it seems
like most Americans have pretty bad taste in salads - tasteless iceberg
that is made even more tasteless by being ice cold, croutons, fake
bacon, and 4 times too much of a dressing that is loaded with sugar.
Blecchh.

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

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

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Wayne
Boatwright <wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com> says...

Quoted message said:

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.

Agreed, the salad spinner is one of the few truly useful gadgets.
Nothing like water on the greens to ruin a salad. Of course it seems
like most Americans have pretty bad taste in salads - tasteless iceberg
that is made even more tasteless by being ice cold, croutons, fake
bacon, and 4 times too much of a dressing that is loaded with sugar.
Blecchh.
Peter Aitken

The presence of chlorophyll causes the sugar to vanish. This, of course,
assumes that you are tripping.

Wayne Boatwright said:

I include a fairly minimal amount iceberg in a mixed salad, primarily for
the texture. Where I truly enjoy iceberg is as a wedge or thick slice with
blue cheese dressing. It's also the only lettuce I really like on a
sandwich or burger. Soft lettuces just don't cut it on sandwiches.

The wedge salads are great. Blue cheese and bacon bits. I
didn't discover those until I lived in Texas.

Iceberg, again for it's texture, is a must on sandwiches and
tacos. Especially on salad type sandwiches - egg, tuna, BLT,
etc.. There has to be mayo between the bread and lettuce for me.
Even on tuna and egg salad sandwiches (which already have mayo in
them).

-sw

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

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Agreed, the salad spinner is one of the few truly useful gadgets.
Nothing like water on the greens to ruin a salad. Of course it seems
like most Americans have pretty bad taste in salads - tasteless iceberg
that is made even more tasteless by being ice cold, croutons, fake
bacon, and 4 times too much of a dressing that is loaded with sugar.
Blecchh.
Peter Aitken

The presence of chlorophyll causes the sugar to vanish. This, of course,
assumes that you are tripping.

Methinks it is you who are tripping <g>!

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

Joseph Littleshoes said:

Steve Wertz said:

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

Steve, is your question a joke? of course you wash your lettuce, but ice
berg to me, IMO, is about the worst for a green salad. I like a butter
lettuce or a red or green leaf lettuce, ill take romaine if nothing else
is available but i would use spinach greens rather than ice berg.

You're not the first person to chime in to say they wash their
lettuces, but then state they don't use iceberg (which is the
exception to lettuces needing washed).

Quoted message said:

Consider that it grows out side and that there is usually nothing to
stop animals defecating on it, air borne dust, dirt, bacteria & flies
can land on faeces and then on the lettuce, the hands that pick the
lettuce could have just been to the toilet, and then there are whatever
pesticides and other chemicals and bacteria it can acquire in the
journey from the farm to your table.

You're gonna love this site:
http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/dalbook.html

This table lists the Defect Action Levels for agricultural
products. In other words, the levels of allowed rodent
droppings, insect parts, pesticides, mold, rot, feces, animal
hair, etc that are allowed in foods you're eating every day.

No amount of cleaning is going to eliminate all of the above.
Now imagine all those foods you don't have the option of
washing...

If it doesn't kill you, it can only make you stronger. People
who are too fastidious about killing off every harmful element
are the people who will be the least resistant to common,
everyday pathogens. The whole cycle is making the human race
weaker, and the bugs stronger.

-sw

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

Quoted message said:

Iceberg, again for it's texture, is a must on sandwiches and
tacos. Especially on salad type sandwiches - egg, tuna, BLT,
etc.. There has to be mayo between the bread and lettuce for me.
Even on tuna and egg salad sandwiches (which already have mayo in
them).

I agree - there is a place for iceberg and you have described it. Just
not in salads, thank you.

--
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:

Kate Connally said:

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.

Thank you for being honest :-) I'd knew I'd take some flack for
saying I'd never washed lettuce, and for using iceberg. I've
been here for plenty of iceberg poo-pooing.

I suspect there's plenty of people who don't want to admit they
don't wash iceberg.

-sw

I'll use this occasion to tell my story (again) of staying at the Cocopah RV
and Golf Resort, Yuma, AZ, one winter. It was alongside a large farm that
had iceberg lettuce growing in many rows. The dogs liked to run up and down
the rows, two paws left, front and back on one side of the head of lettuce,
and two paws right, front and back on the other side of the lettuce.

Needless to say, they were tickling their fancies as they galloped up and
down these rows. What a site. When I see iceberg lettuce in the grocery
store, I always envision dog's undersides dusting the lettuce with ....

Oh, but I'm sure the outside of the lettuce heads have been torn off and are
'practically sterile.' :-)))))
Dee Dee

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

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Steve Wertz said:

Kate Connally said:

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.

Thank you for being honest :-) I'd knew I'd take some flack for
saying I'd never washed lettuce, and for using iceberg. I've
been here for plenty of iceberg poo-pooing.

I suspect there's plenty of people who don't want to admit they
don't wash iceberg.

-sw

I never did... After removing a few of the outer leaves, the inside is
perfectly clean.

But, I personally prefer Boston butter lettuce, and have been springing
for the "live" hydroponic heads. They can live as long as a month in the
Hobart as long as I keep water in the root well.

I don't eat a lot of salads.
--
Peace!
Om

You could remove 'some' outer leaves of the Boston hydroponic, but you'd be
losing a lot of value. I do spray mine with a little vinegar, let sit a
while, then rinse and spin. Just had the last of a few leaves for dinner. I
don't even need a dressing they taste so fresh.
Dee Dee

In article <[email hidden]>,

Doug Kanter said:

"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.

Must be my charm. I drain it well. I don't think I've ever had rotted
lettuce - and I don't use it especially fast - week or two not uncommon.

--
-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."

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

Quoted message said:

Steve Wertz said:

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

Steve, is your question a joke? of course you wash your lettuce, but ice
berg to me, IMO, is about the worst for a green salad. I like a butter
lettuce or a red or green leaf lettuce, ill take romaine if nothing else
is available but i would use spinach greens rather than ice berg.

Quoted message said:

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?

Consider that it grows out side and that there is usually nothing to stop
animals defecating on it, air borne dust, dirt, bacteria & flies can land
on faeces and then on the lettuce, the hands that pick the lettuce could
have just been to the toilet, and then there are whatever pesticides and
other chemicals and bacteria it can acquire in the journey from the farm
to your table.

I take a head of red leaf lettuce, a big clump of broccoli, green onions,
tomatoes, sweet red or green bell pepper a couple of mushrooms (sliced
thin) cut them into small dice and toss with garbonzoe beans and a nice
vinaigrette. Occasionally i add some avocado and/or chopped orange
slices.

I always feel I have a better chance with lettuce not causing me a stomach
problem if I include lemon or lime in a dressing or if I rinse in vinegar
or spray with vinegar-then rinse. Something I always do.
Dee Dee

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
:: 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.
::
My Mom usta do that...I'd forgotten about the core-smacking.
;-)

BOB

--
Raw Meat Should NOT Have An Ingredients List

Steve Wertz said:

Joseph Littleshoes said:

Steve Wertz said:

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

Steve, is your question a joke? of course you wash your lettuce, but ice
berg to me, IMO, is about the worst for a green salad. I like a butter
lettuce or a red or green leaf lettuce, ill take romaine if nothing else
is available but i would use spinach greens rather than ice berg.

You're not the first person to chime in to say they wash their
lettuces, but then state they don't use iceberg (which is the
exception to lettuces needing washed).

Quoted message said:

Consider that it grows out side and that there is usually nothing to
stop animals defecating on it, air borne dust, dirt, bacteria & flies
can land on faeces and then on the lettuce, the hands that pick the
lettuce could have just been to the toilet, and then there are whatever
pesticides and other chemicals and bacteria it can acquire in the
journey from the farm to your table.

You're gonna love this site:
http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/dalbook.html

I am a little more careful with raw foods, i shop for my fruits and
veggies at an open air market and have seen bird [censored] fall on products.
In the vendors defence this is rare and is almost immediately detected
and removed but still...

I stopped making purchases at a local markets salad bar when i saw a
rather dishevelled, street person stick his hand in the potato salad,
scoop out a handful of it and shove it in his mouth.

In not ultra fastidious, but i cant imagine not at least rinsing veggies
& fruits. I also wash my hands very well before i cook anything, even
make a sandwich. Ok, i will open a bag of chips without washing my
hands, or have a cookie or something like that.

But you are right, last night i was handling raw chicken, and without
thinking i reached over to a bottle of soda, opened it with my greasy
hands and took a big slug and then thought ...'oh ...my...god!' what
have i done!!!!...well nothing happened, i did not die of botulism (sp?)
poisoning

Quoted message said:

This table lists the Defect Action Levels for agricultural
products. In other words, the levels of allowed rodent
droppings, insect parts, pesticides, mold, rot, feces, animal
hair, etc that are allowed in foods you're eating every day.

No amount of cleaning is going to eliminate all of the above.
Now imagine all those foods you don't have the option of
washing...

Some people even wash meat or rice, grain might be more difficult but
still i understand what your saying yet still attempt to do what i can
to lower if not eliminate the possibilities of contaminates. I use very
little processed, packaged food.

Quoted message said:

If it doesn't kill you, it can only make you stronger.

Generally i agree with you but there is a cumulative effect also, and as
we get older we are not as strong as we were, nor our immune system either.

People

Quoted message said:

who are too fastidious about killing off every harmful element
are the people who will be the least resistant to common,
everyday pathogens. The whole cycle is making the human race
weaker, and the bugs stronger.

Don't get me started on 'antiseptic wipes' and disinfecting soaps that
are being marketed to the masses these days!!!
---
JL

Quoted message said:

-sw

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

Quoted message said:

My Mom usta do that...I'd forgotten about the core-smacking.
;-)

BOB

Why does this sound illegal? 🙂

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?

Of course the lettuce should be washed and rinsed. Dirt and pesticeds
make for lousy salad condiments.

Quoted message said:

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 would hope so.

Quoted message said:

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

No, but I have to wonder about anyone who is not acquainted with the
benefits of washing produce before using it.

Doug said:

Nothing's nastier than a puddle of water in the bottom of a salad. A salad
spinner's a necessity.

There *are* other ways of getting the water off your salad greens, you know.
You can pat them with lint-free towels, for example. Or you can put them
into a cloth or mesh bag and swing them around (preferably outdoors).

As far as "nothing nastier," you never met Sheldon's mother.

Bob