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How To Wash And Dry Leafy Greens
How To Wash And Dry Leafy Greens
23 Oct 2021
Disclaimer
What's the best way to wash leafy greens? In running water, not in our kitchen sink or a bowl of water. And we must strive to separate fresh produce like leafy greens and animal products like meat, fish and eggs. Why? To avoid cross contamination. For details, see sections below on washing leafy greens.

What are some techinques for drying leafy greens? We may use towels, a salad spinner or an interesting hack: we place leafy greens in a cotton or plastic bag and spin it around in circles to mimic a salad spinner :) For details, see the section below on drying leafy greens.

Washing Techniques

CDC Guidelines for Leafy Greens explain:

What is the best way to wash leafy greens?

Studies show that thoroughly rinsing fresh produce under running water removes some of the germs and dirt. No washing method completely removes all germs.

Check to see if your prepackaged leafy greens are labeled ready to eat, triple washed, or no washing necessary. These leafy greens do not need to be washed again. Although prewashed greens aren’t guaranteed to be safe, the washing process should have removed most contamination. All other leafy greens should be thoroughly washed before eating, cutting, or cooking.

Follow the steps below for leafy greens you plan to eat raw:

  • Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water before and after preparing leafy greens.
  • Discard outer leaves and any torn or bruised ones.
  • Rinse the leafy greens under running water and use your hands to gently rub the surface of the leaves.
    • Don’t soak leafy greens in a sink filled with water. They can get contaminated with germs in the sink.
    • Don’t soak leafy greens in a bowl filled with water. Contamination from one leaf can spread through the water to other leaves.
    • If you do not have access to safe tap water, rinse with other drinkable water (such as filtered, bottled, or distilled water).
In the guidelines above note the emphasis on washing greens under running water instead of collecting water in a sink or a bowl for cleaning them. The same guideline is echoed in Washing Leafy Greens by Academy of Nutritionists and Dietetics, USA:

When you have loose leaves, such as mesclun, that can't easily be held under cold running water, use a colander or a salad spinner. Toss them around under the running water and repeat. Using a sink filled with water to wash produce is never recommended.

Can home washing of 'triple washed' / 'ready to eat' leafy greens actually increase the risk of infection? Surprisingly, the answer is yes, according to this paper: Recommendations for Handling Fresh-cut Leafy Green Salads by Consumers and Retail Foodservice Operators by Palumbo et al, Food Protection Trends, vol. 27, no. 11, pp. 892-898, Nov 2007. It explains:

The panel also advised that additional washing of ready-to-eat green salads is not likely to enhance safety. The risk of cross contamination from food handlers and food contact surfaces used during washing may outweigh any safety benefit that further washing may confer.

Separation of animal products and fresh produce: CDC Guidelines for Leafy Greens outline additional guidelines for diligently separating fresh produce (fruits and veggies) from animal products. Specifically, they have guidelines like these:

Separate produce from raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs in your shopping cart, grocery bags, and refrigerator.

Use separate cutting boards and utensils for fresh produce and raw foods that come from animals, such as meat, poultry, and seafood. If that isn't an option, prepare produce before working with raw meat.

Cook thoroughly or throw away any produce that comes in contact with raw meat, poultry, or seafood or their juices.

Why do we have CDC guidelines for diligently separating fresh produce from animal products? Due to serious cross-contamination from various pathogens and contaminants found in animal products like meat, fish and eggs. For details, browse through Drug Residues & Microbes in Food. How easily do pathogens and contaminants spread? Dr Greger's videos in this article are particularly instructive: Cleanliness in Restaurants & Supermarkets

Temperature control: CDC article has these guidelines:

Store vegetables and fruits, including pre-cut and packaged produce and salads, in a clean refrigerator with the temperature set to 40°F or below.

Refrigerate cooked or cut produce, including salads, within 2 hours (or 1 hour if the air temperature is 90° or warmer).

(4 mins, 2011) Safe Handling of Raw Produce and Fresh-Squeezed Fruit and Vegetable Juices

This is a video by USDA explaining how to handle fresh produce like leafy greens.

(2 mins, 2022) Triple Washed Salad: To Rinse Or Not? Dr Peter Rogers
Drying Techniques
(2 mins, 2013) How to Dry Lettuce

Two techniques: (a) use two towels on a kitchen counter, and (b) use a salad spinner.

(3 mins, 2015) Hack: Drying Lettuce

A nice trick to dry leafy greens: we put our leafy greens into a plastic bag and swing it around in circles.

(1 min, 2010) Dry Salad Without a Spinner

Same technique as previous video but advocates a cotton bag instead of plastic.

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