05
Mar
Crisp and Fresh Lettuce Storage Tips
Filed Under (Articles) by Webmaster on 05-03-2009
Tagged Under : cooking tips, food salad, keep salads fresh, salad article
Crisp & Fresh Lettuce Storage Tips
You’re hungry and you know there’s something you’re craving. Ah a salad is what you want. You run to the fridge, open the vegetable crisper only to find the lettuce you bought 2 days ago is brown and mushy. Ever happen to you? It happens more often than not.
Here are a few storage tips to make sure you have crisp, fresh lettuce when that craving strikes.
Lettuce is not cheap. When it’s not stored correctly we find ourselves tossing it in the trash more often then we care to admit. Lettuce can be purchased in a bag or by the head. Either way, if not stored properly lettuce can, and will, go bad in a very little amount of time.
One way to preserve your lettuce until salad time is to buy a fresh head of lettuce. Lettuce that is in a sealed bag can turn brown faster. It has already been handled, chopped or cut by a metal object and then sealed in the bag. Often times when a bag of lettuce is purchased you can already see the edges beginning to brown before it’s even made it off the shelf.
Grocery stores mist their vegetables to keep them hydrated. Of course we can’t do this at home and when it comes to lettuce you are better off if it’s stored dry. Always rinse lettuce before storing, but use a paper towel to dry the lettuce leaves before placing them in the proper container.
Store your lettuce in a dry, sealable, plastic bag. Condensation with gather on the inside of the bag even though the lettuce has been dried so line the bag with paper towel before adding the dry lettuce. This will keep a head of lettuce fresh for about a week.
If your refrigerator has a crisper tray, keep your lettuce stored there. Keep the temperature of the refrigerator in the middle of your temperature scale and if you have a humidity setting you can adjust, keep it set on low. The more humidity inside your refrigerator, the better chance of the lettuce leaves acquiring moisture. If the temperature is too high you take a risk of freezing the moisture on the leaves causing them to become translucent and mushy.
Always store your salad fixings in separate containers. The moisture or juices from vegetables and dressings will cause lettuce leaves to wilt. There’s nothing worse than craving a salad only to find your lettuce has turned brown and nasty when you open the container. Not only does it make the lettuce less appealing, but the veggies probably aren’t in that great of shape either thanks to the turning of the lettuce.
By storing your lettuce properly you can have a fresh made salad anytime you wish. There’s nothing like a good, healthy salad. Go ahead and buy that head of lettuce today and feed your craving whenever the urge strikes, not whenever you’re lettuce feels up to it.
