Salad: do you wash pre-washed greens?

[embdiva]

I wash it all. I found If I put my berries in my salad spinner it does a great job. I fill it with cold water, let it sit awhile, pulse the basket up and down a few times, dump the water, do it again then drain. I let them set a few minuets, shake the basket like a colander, dump and then spin like crazy!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

i don't buy premade salad greens only whole veges
i do wash the outside leaves but not the inside leaves
i don't buy sprouts any more, its just too risky
greens from the garden i wash because Borris and Tibby wee all over the place but i must say i snack tomatoes straight from the vine, the same with the grapes

once at McDonald's i had to send back a chicken bacon delux because it had a tiny green caterpillar in it
i got a fresh burger and the manager gathered all the staff around to look at it so i was happy

 

[JPie]

@Daisys and Diamonds your McDonald’s story reminds me of the time my friends and I went to a restaurant that is famous for its roasted chicken. They serve it with a very generous pile of greens, and after waiting 40 minutes for it, I spotted a wriggly little caterpillar on the plate before they set it down. I cracked a joke about the greens being really organic, and the waiter turned around and took that chicken back to the kitchen so quickly, it made our heads spin!

The host came over to assure us that bugs are a normal part of organic produce. We were more worried that they would make us wait another 40 minutes to roast a new chicken! Thank goodness they didn’t. The chicken was good, but not enough for me to go back.

 

[GliderPoss]

Meh I only wash fresh lettuce, not bagged washed stuff. Figured a bit of dirt never hurt...

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

@Daisys and Diamonds your McDonald’s story reminds me of the time my friends and I went to a restaurant that is famous for its roasted chicken. They serve it with a very generous pile of greens, and after waiting 40 minutes for it, I spotted a wriggly little caterpillar on the plate before they set it down. I cracked a joke about the greens being really organic, and the waiter turned around and took that chicken back to the kitchen so quickly, it made our heads spin!

The host came over to assure us that bugs are a normal part of organic produce. We were more worried that they would make us wait another 40 minutes to roast a new chicken! Thank goodness they didn’t. The chicken was good, but not enough for me to go back.

lucky i was sure my little caterpillar was from the market garden where the lettuce came from and in no way looked like a blow fly maggot or anything really unsavory
i must admit we never did go back to that branch

 

[yssie]

Yup. Figure an extra rinse never hurts.

I've never had something live turn up on my plate at a restaurant... I'm honestly not sure how I'd react
I have had seagulls steal food right from my hands at the beach, and on the San Francisco pier. Those things are menaces - shameless and fearless in the absolute!

 

[sonnyjane]

I’m going to come out of the closet a bit and announce that I don’t wash produce. ANY produce. And never have. Yes, if I think about it I understand the risks, but I still never have and would be lying if I said I ever will since I’ve made it almost 40 years so far without issue lol...

 

[dk168]

I regularly buy pre-washed rocket/arugula in packets, and use them strict out of the packet.

Same with pre-washed and packed mixed salad leaves, however, I seldom buy those.

DK

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

My husband and I like to buy salad mix at the farmers market. It’s advertised as triple-washed, and my husband uses it as is. I always wash it. I consistently rinse out gnats, grit, and even a live spider once.

How about you? Do you trust pre-washed salad greens to be clean, or do you always wash them regardless?

Always wash. Watched the process on a TV document once. The water was NOT fresh and running. Basically dumped into the same muddy brew over and over again. Feels like there's more bacteria on it than unwashed. Only less sand.
Prefer sand to bacteria

 

[chrono]

Even though I end up cooking them (spinach, green beans, sprouts, etc), I still wash the pre-washed greens.

 

[House Cat]

I absolutely HATE washing lettuce! Maybe because that was my job at home when I was a kid - I guess because my mother hated washing lettuce. So I think it’s genetic.

When I read that one should wash the washed lettuce, I just stopped buying it and stopped eating salads. Now I mostly eat cooked vegetables.

This. 100%

I once read that an attorney for food poisoning cases said he would never eat prepackaged salad mix. He buys whole lettuce and washes it himself.

 

[jaaron]

I love to cook, but for some inexplicable reason, HATE washing salad greens. However, I don't, as a rule, buy the prewashed stuff. I feel like, regardless of how clean it is, with the washing and bagging (plastic), it's not hugely environmentally friendly and has likely been kicking around a bit longer than is optimum. Also, this

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/sep/03/foodsafety.fooddrinks

 

[kenny]

The only lettuce I every buy is these baby heads of Romaine from Costco.

They are excellent, sweet, and super cheap ... all 5 for $2.59 IIRC.
I cut them from top to bottom into slices 1/2" wide, and drop them into my salad spinner.
Fill with water and swish around with fingers.
Pour water into bucket to save for toilet flushing later.
Spin dry.
Repeat.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

can i ask a question off on a tangent ?
how do you keep your lettuce fresh in the fridge without using plastic wrap or buying them in a plastic bag ?
ive had to go back to buying bagged whole lettuce because they just dont keep fresh unwrapped in the crisper

trying to cut down on plastic but also trying not to waste lettuce

 

[kenny]

can i ask a question off on a tangent ?
how do you keep your lettuce fresh in the fridge without using plastic wrap or buying them in a plastic bag ?
ive had to go back to buying bagged whole lettuce because they just dont keep fresh unwrapped in the crisper

trying to cut down on plastic but also trying not to waste lettuce

Since I buy those baby romaine heads in a bag of 5 I only cut up what we'll eat in a couple days.
The uncut heads last over a week, longer if you don't mind discarding the outer leaves.

I store cut lettuce right in the salad spinner.
It has an internal basket so the lettuce stays semi-aerated.
Lettuce stays fresher longer than it does in a plastic bag, or stored in nothing.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Since I buy those baby romaine heads in a bag of 5 I only cut up what we'll eat in a couple days.
The uncut heads last over a week, longer if you don't mind discarding the outer leaves.

I store cut lettuce in the salad spinner.
It has an internal basket so the lettuce can remain semi-aerated.

thank you Kenny
we have one of those in a moving box somewhere
we were actually talking about it last night

i never thought about keeping the lettuce in it but am keen to try this now thank you.
its anazing how long a lettuce will stay fresh when its kept happy in the fridge but i always disgard the white leaves with the reddy-brown ends even though ive had that served to me in a burger at MacDonalds

 

[kenny]

That rotten McLettuce is the healthiest thing in their burgers.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

That rotten McLettuce is the healthiest thing in their burgers.

i despise mayo or basically any dressing because i don't like vinegar
so i order all burgers with no sauce, no mayo but they get it wrong so often

one time my chicken burger came out with no lettuce ......????

 

[ccuheartnurse]

I wasn’t as dogmatic about it as I should have been. Monday night I had a severe case of food poisoning. The only new thing I had eaten that night was a salad with leftover baked chicken which I hadn’t had any issues with the night before. Unbeknownst to me, there has been romaine recalls. I purchased from one of the stores mentioned. If you have access to home grown lettuce, go that route. Soak & Wash your lettuce! Buy a spinner to spin it dry & enjoy. I’m doing ok today, just body aches. I should be back to my usual self soon.

For those in Canada...

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

i made sure to wash my lettuce tonight

 

[Bron357]

I’m terrible, I wash nothing. Been not washing my fruit or veggies my whole life and I’m still here so I’m either lucky or have built up immunity to bugs and germs!

 

[missy]

I wasn’t as dogmatic about it as I should have been. Monday night I had a severe case of food poisoning. The only new thing I had eaten that night was a salad with leftover baked chicken which I hadn’t had any issues with the night before. Unbeknownst to me, there has been romaine recalls. I purchased from one of the stores mentioned. If you have access to home grown lettuce, go that route. Soak & Wash your lettuce! Buy a spinner to spin it dry & enjoy. I’m doing ok today, just body aches. I should be back to my usual self soon.

For those in Canada...

I'm sorry you got ill and hope you are feeling better. FWIW washing lettuce won't rid it of E Coli.

Washing Your Greens Won't Protect Against E. Coli

Consumer Reports advises that for now, you should steer clear of any romaine lettuce, but what if you already have some in the fridge?

www.consumerreports.org

 

[missy]

Some alternate views that might help put things in perspective.

Here's the truth about triple-washed salad

It's not always clear whether you have to wash produce at home. Hopefully this guide will help you out.

www.insider.com

"The triple-washed process doesn't just use water; it uses sanitizers to kill bacteria and other pathogens, too...

Shockingly, studies have found that people actually increase the likelihood that they'll get sick if they clean pre-washed greens at home.

It is unlikely that consumer washing of such products will make the product cleaner compared to a commercial triple wash," Michelle Annette Smith, a food safety expert with the US Food and Drug Administration, wrote in a post about the issue. "It is possible that the additional handling may contaminate a product that was clean"

 

[kenny]

People vary.
Some are more careful than others.
Some don't mind being (what others would judge to be) "overly careful", IOW wrong.

So, why are some here trying to establish the one single correct way that everyone should be about ... uhm ... salad washing?

I'm gonna do what I do, and so are you.
Peace, Out.

 

[missy]

People vary.
Some are more careful than others.
Some don't mind being (what others would judge to be) "overly careful", IOW wrong.

So, why are some here trying to establish the one single correct way that everyone should be about ... uhm ... salad washing?

I'm gonna do what I do, and so are you.
Peace, Out.

Kenny, the title of the thread is asking if we wash our pre washed salads so people are sharing their opinions. There is nothing wrong with presenting evidence for one's opinions. There is no universal right or wrong and we are sharing what works for us. No problem with that IMO either. I like seeing why people have the opinions they do and I appreciate when they share links showing why they feel that way. As we can all see there is evidence for both sides.

Yes we all vary and that is OK. And some of us might even change our minds either way depending on what is shared here. None of us are infallible or perfect and I like seeing why one's mileage varies.




and

 

[House Cat]

Some alternate views that might help put things in perspective.

Here's the truth about triple-washed salad

It's not always clear whether you have to wash produce at home. Hopefully this guide will help you out.

www.insider.com

"The triple-washed process doesn't just use water; it uses sanitizers to kill bacteria and other pathogens, too...

Shockingly, studies have found that people actually increase the likelihood that they'll get sick if they clean pre-washed greens at home.

It is unlikely that consumer washing of such products will make the product cleaner compared to a commercial triple wash," Michelle Annette Smith, a food safety expert with the US Food and Drug Administration, wrote in a post about the issue. "It is possible that the additional handling may contaminate a product that was clean"

Bugs and creatures are a factor. So are frogs. Look up “rat in salad mix” and see how many stories come up. Less safe to wash the lettuce? I dunno.

A Live Frog Was Found in These Triple-Washed Organic Salad Greens and Nothing Is Sacred Anymore

So fresh, so not clean.

www.thekitchn.com

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Always wash. Watched the process on a TV document once. The water was NOT fresh and running. Basically dumped into the same muddy brew over and over again. Feels like there's more bacteria on it than unwashed. Only less sand.
Prefer sand to bacteria

Oh noes!!!! You're not going to want to go to dinner at my house!

Because we had an intense drought in Australia, I started getting really shady with our water usage.

Sometimes I was certain veg, let the grit sink and then skim that top water to wash the next batch of veg.

In my defense our dams were REALLY low!!!

 

[ccuheartnurse]

Thank you Missy. The article mentions that contaminants, in relation to heads of lettuce, usually are found on the outer leaves. I did not know this. I ate mine as the head looked really fresh. :-/. I’ll just have to be more vigilant. It’s not an experience I want to repeat.

 

[missy]

Thank you Missy. The article mentions that contaminants, in relation to heads of lettuce, usually are found on the outer leaves. I did not know this. I ate mine as the head looked really fresh. :-/. I’ll just have to be more vigilant. It’s not an experience I want to repeat.

My pleasure. Yeah I mean there’s no one right way to do it. It’s what each individual is willing to do re risk vs benefit as with most things in life. I love salad and eat a lot of it daily. Much more than most people I’m sure lol. And so far I’ve never gotten sick from salad.