The Correct Size for a Salad Spinner Is Mini
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I’ve been the Strategist’s kitchen and dining writer for five years, which means there’s a constant stream of new appliances and tools coming into my kitchen. I have to be very discerning about what I keep long-term, given the fact that I live in a Brooklyn apartment. I’ve made many design decisions over the years to stretch storage as much as possible.
One principle that has proved to help a lot is relying on smaller versions of items: a mini food processor, a personal blender, a one-at-a-time waffle-maker, a gooseneck kettle. But perhaps lesser known (something I imagine isn’t even often considered as a possibility to shrink down) is my small OXO salad and herb spinner. I’ve had this thing for years, and I use it multiple times a week for every type of green.
It works in the exact same way as the full-size model. To use it, you unlock the center button (which conveniently sits flush with the lid when locked), it pops up, you press down to spin the insert, and water flings itself off just-rinsed leaves. There’s a small push button to stop it, too. The only difference? My small version has a three-quart capacity, while the standard holds six quarts.
Since three quarts is a bit difficult to visualize, I’ll tell you how it functions in my household. It’s big enough to clean enough lettuce for a side salad for two in one go. It can handle about one bunch of kale, chard, or other dark leafy green — stems removed and leaves chopped or torn — at a time. Herbs of any kind (parsley, dill, cilantro, basil) fit one, two, or even three bundles at once (which I will do on occasion when I’m making a large portion of green sauce for company or to use throughout the week).
Sometimes after a substantial shop at the farmers’ market, or if I’m making a salad for more people, I have a lot to clean at once. In those cases, I just rinse and spin in batches, laying all the various greens out on a dish towel for a final dry before I wrap them up and put them in the fridge or assemble my salad.
And when all is said and done with the spinner, I rinse the parts, let them air-dry in my dish rack, and then fit the whole thing snugly inside of my stack of stainless-steel colanders, nesting compactly inside.
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More space-saving kitchen essentials I love
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Cuisinart’s classic mini food processor.
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And nesting baking dishes for compact storage.
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A slim (and absolutely excellent) waffle-maker.
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Quarter sheet pans are way easier to store and clean.
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