Water and oil, again
A vinaigrette is mostly oil. Oil does not wet a surface that is already covered in water — it slides off and collects underneath.
So a bowl of washed but undried leaves does two things at once: it dilutes the dressing, and it refuses to hold what is left. The result is bland leaves and a puddle.
A tea towel gets leaves damp-dry. A spinner gets them properly dry, quickly, without bruising them, which is the difference between a salad that tastes seasoned and one that does not.
What else it is for
- Washing and drying herbs, which is the job it does best of all. Parsley, coriander and mint all bruise in a towel.
- Drying berries after rinsing, gently, so they do not go mouldy.
- Draining and drying blanched greens before they go into a pan or a freezer bag.
- Squeezing water out of grated courgette or potato — put it in the basket, spin, and a surprising amount comes out.
- Drying rinsed pulses or grains before roasting them.
- As a colander and a bowl in its own right. The basket and the outer bowl are useful separately.
- Storing washed leaves in the fridge in the basket with a sheet of kitchen paper, which keeps them crisp for days.
Choosing one
- Mechanism
- Pump, pull-cord and crank. Pumps are the easiest one-handed; cords wear out; cranks are the most durable.
- Brake
- Worth having. Without one you wait for it to stop on its own.
- Size
- Bigger than you think. A spinner that only holds half a bag of leaves means two rounds every time.
- Flat lid
- Lets the bowl be used and stored more easily.
- Non-slip base
- Stops it walking across the worktop.
- Dishwasher
- Check. Some mechanisms do not survive it.
Using it well
- Wash the leaves in the basket sitting inside the bowl, so grit falls through and stays below.
- Lift the basket out and tip the dirty water away rather than draining leaves through it.
- Do not overfill. Leaves need room to move or they will not dry.
- Spin in short bursts rather than one long one, shaking the basket between them.
- Two shorter spins with a shake in between dries far better than one long spin.
- Tip the collected water away between batches.
- Store leaves in the basket in the fridge with a sheet of kitchen paper, and they will stay crisp for days.
Washing greens properly
The spinning is the last step and the least important. Most badly washed salad was badly washed before it ever reached the spinner.
- Separate the leaves first. Grit sits where leaves meet the stem and no amount of rinsing a whole head reaches it.
- Fill the bowl with cold water and put the leaves in loose. Do not run water over them in a colander — that pushes grit into the leaves.
- Swish gently and leave them for a minute. Grit sinks; leaves float.
- Lift the leaves out of the water rather than pouring the bowl out, which tips the grit straight back over them.
- Check the bottom of the bowl. If there is grit, do it again with fresh water.
- Then spin, in small batches. An overfull spinner does not dry anything.
- Spin, tip the water out, and spin again. The second spin removes far more than people expect.
Common questions
Why does dressing not stick to my salad?
The leaves are still wet. Oil will not adhere to a wet surface and slides into a pool.
Is a tea towel good enough?
It gets leaves damp-dry and bruises delicate ones. A spinner does it properly and faster.
Can I dry herbs in it?
Yes, and it is the best thing it does. Herbs bruise badly in a towel.
Can I squeeze grated vegetables in it?
Yes — courgette and potato both give up a surprising amount of water.
Does it need to be big?
Bigger than you expect. A small one means spinning everything twice.
Try this next
- Wilted salad the related leaf problem
- How to make a salad dressing what the drying is for
- How to store fresh herbs the other use
- Colander the simpler alternative