Lettuce is the foundation for many great salad recipes, from aBasic Green Salad with Vinaigretteto twists on classic recipes like ourSalmon Caesar SaladorChopped Cobb Salad. Whether you use a mix of lettuces or stick to a single variety, it’s crucial to keep your greens crisp and fresh (because no one likes a slimy, wilted piece of lettuce). Learn how to store lettuce, plus get tips on what to look for when buying lettuce.
This Viral Hack Shows You How to Core a Head of Lettuce—Without a Knife
Helen Norman
What to Look for When Buying Lettuce
When shopping, choose dense, heavy head lettuces with bright color and no browning on the outer leaves. For loose-leaf lettuces, choose ones with crisp leaves with no signs of wilting. If you’re buying precut lettuce in a bag, look for ones where the leaves show no yellowing, wilting or sliminess.
How to Store Lettuce in the Fridge
How to Store Lettuce Heads
Regardless of variety, lettuce heads should be stored in a plastic bag. Many lettuce heads come wrapped in plastic at the grocery store, so you can leave it as is. Place the lettuce in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. Crisphead and romaine lettuces can be stored for up to seven days. However, more delicate butterhead and loose-leaf lettuces can only be stored for up to five days.
How to Store Loose Lettuce
When storing loose leaves, you can opt to wash them beforehand, but be sure to thoroughly dry them with paper towels or in a salad spinner, as wet leaves will easily wilt or turn slimy. Once dried, wrap the lettuce leaves in a paper towel before placing in a plastic bag (the paper towel helps absorb any extra moisture, so your leaves stay crisp). Then, store the plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. These loose lettuce leaves should be consumed within three days of storing.
I Finally Bought This Popular Salad Spinner and I Can’t Believe It Took Me So Long
Lettuce has a short life, so it’s best to use it within the specified time frame. However, if you find yourself with less-than-stellar leaves,try this trick for reviving wilted lettuceso nothing goes to waste.
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