Salad Spinners can do so much more than just spin salad

The salad spinner is an ideal tool if you’re trying to get in shape for the new year. A salad spinner is anything but a one trick pony though. In addition to helping you wash and dry delicate leafy greens for salads, these handy tools can be used for a variety of kitchen tasks.

Clean herbs & braising greens

You can rinse, wash, and spin fresh herbs and hearty braising greens dry in a salad spinner too! Use it exactly the same way you would with more delicate salad greens. 

Clean other veggies

Craggy vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower can be difficult to clean and dry because of their irregular shape. Leeks are notorious for being filled with sand and dirt. They can be a real pain in the neck to clean, and even more annoying to dry. Use your salad spinner bowl to soak and wash these veggies (repeatedly in the case of leeks) and then spin them dry as usual. 

Dry pasta

Pasta needs to be dried well for dishes like pasta salad or baked pasta casseroles. This way you won’t water down your dressings or recipes. This can be especially challenging with tubular pastas where water may get trapped. With a salad spinner you can remove the water from your pasta without fear of smooshing or breaking it. 

Rinse and drain canned beans

If you don’t have a colander handy, the one built into your salad spinner is perfect for rinsing and draining canned beans. You can even spin heartier beans dry to remove every last drop of moisture. This is perfect for roasting crunchy chick peas for snacks or salads! 

Remove moisture from grated veggies

Grated zucchini for quick breads or muffins, or grated potatoes for latkes or hash browns can release a lot of moisture. It’s important to squeeze most of that moisture out before cooking so your recipes don’t turn out rubbery and watered down. You can even use your salad spinner to drain moisture from salted eggplant slices or spiral sliced veggies.  

Clean delicate berries

Fresh berries are usually too delicate to be spun dry. You can still use your salad spinner though! Gently wash your berries in the spinner bowl, then drain them with the colander insert. 

Strain seeds from canned tomatoes

All you need to do to remove the seeds from canned tomatoes is break them up a little with your hands and give them a few spins. 

Defrost frozen foods

Your salad spinner is perfect for draining the moisture from frozen shrimp as it defrosts, and then spinning them dry just before you put them into your shrimp cocktail. You can also spin out the excess moisture from frozen spinach too!

Proof yeast doughs

You won’t need to do any spinning here, but the clear bowl of a salad spinner is the perfect vessel for keeping an eye on yeast dough as it rises without having to lift the damp towel from the top of the bowl. 

Wash delicates or dry swim clothes

Our last tip doesn’t even involve food, but a salad spinner is perfect for washing delicates at home, or for helping get the moisture out of wet swim suits. Just be sure to wash the spinner well before using it again in the kitchen!