How to keep salad fresh in 5 easy steps (2024)

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These 5 easy steps are all you need to keep your salad fresh for longer! No more soggy, wilted or slimy leaves.

Once you know how to keep your salad fresh, discover plenty of interesting salad recipes.

How to keep salad fresh in 5 easy steps (5)

Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad

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How to keep salad fresh

Soggy salad? No thank you! There is nothing worse than getting ready to enjoy a lovely, crisp salad only to find that yoursalad leaves are now wilted, or even worse, slimy.

When you buy salad, there are 5 easy steps that will prolong its life so you can munch on fresh greens all week long.

1. Handle with care

While you'reshopping and on the way home, keep your salad cool (don’t pack it next to the hot rotisserie chicken)and avoid crushing it under heavy items.

For pre-packaged salad, choose the freshest bags.If you’re packing your ownloose-leaf salad at the grocery store, handle it with care. Crushed or bruised leaves will spoil much faster, and they can cause other salad leaves to spoil, too.

2. Make sure your salad is dry

Nowadays, pre-packaged salad is usually ready to eat and doesn’t need to be washed. However, if the leaves look damp in the package, give them a whirl in the salad spinner when you get home. Damp salad will break down faster, so it’s worth taking extra time to dry them.

If you don’t have a salad spinner, it’s a piece of equipment that might be worth investing in. Otherwise, you can gently pat the salad dry with paper towels, but be careful not to crush or bruise the leaves.

3. Remove any spoilt leaves

Sometimes a rogue squishy leaf can make it home with you. Before you pack your salad away, fluff up your salad and pull any of these out.

4. Put salad in the right containers

Store your clean, dry salad in an airtight plastic container lined with paper towel. The paper towel will absorb any excess water, and the airtight container will keep the salad from wilting.

5. Keep salad in the fridge

Keep salad in the crisper drawer of your fridge. This is the ideal temperature for fruits and vegetables, and it should ensure the salad doesn’t get frosty.

More salad recipes

Now your salad leaves are prepped and ready to eat! If you're looking for interesting salad recipes to try, check out the recipes below. If you're looking for more filling salads, check out thesesalad recipes for dinner. Or check out the full collection of salad recipes here, and don't forget to save them to your free cookbook!

GET THE RECIPE: Middle Eastern-style Nectarine, Haloumi and Freekeh Salad by Summer Stonefruit

This beautiful salad is a taste sensation, and it's also wholesome and hearty thanks to the freekeh.

GET THE RECIPE: Satay Pork Vermicelli Rice Noodle Salad by Passage to Asia

Tender peanut satay pork combined with fresh cabbage, herbs, beans sprouts and more make this a crisp and refreshing salad.

GET THE RECIPE: Wild Rice, Charred Broccolini and Egg Salad by Australian Eggs

This salad can be served warm or cold, so it's ideal to make ahead. Cut the avocado and dress just before serving.

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Wild Rice, Charred Broccolini and Egg Salad

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Avocado, Baby Spinach and Prawn Salad

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Grilled Pear, Rocket and Prosciutto Salad

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Caesar Salad with Hot Smoked Salmon

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Carrot, tomato and chicken quinoa salad

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Candied Chestnut, Blue Cheese and Fennel Salad

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More Tips & Advice

Make ahead salads that keepThese make ahead salads will keep well in the fridge overnight. They're great for entertaining because your can make them the day before and simply garnish before serving. Follow these recipes and tips and tricks for salads that you can make ahead.
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How to keep salad fresh in 5 easy steps (2024)

FAQs

How to keep salad fresh in 5 easy steps? ›

First, layer the bottom of the container with paper towels. They'll absorb moisture. Then, gently pack the leaves in the container and top with another paper towel before storing in the crisper drawer. Don't pack the leaves too tightly, or they won't have breathing room (that can invite rapid rot).

What is the best way to keep salad fresh? ›

First, layer the bottom of the container with paper towels. They'll absorb moisture. Then, gently pack the leaves in the container and top with another paper towel before storing in the crisper drawer. Don't pack the leaves too tightly, or they won't have breathing room (that can invite rapid rot).

How do you pre make salads and keep them fresh? ›

How Do You Keep Salad Fresh for Meal Prep? 5 Tips
  1. Choose firmer salad greens. ...
  2. Always store salad dressings separately from your salad; this will prevent your salad from going soggy.
  3. Wipe all the vegetables with a paper towel before you cut them and add them to your salad.
Sep 27, 2023

What do restaurants spray on salad to keep it fresh? ›

“There is definitely an effort to make that lettuce look appealing even if it's been out there for a few hours,” Newman says. It's not uncommon, he adds, for restaurants or grocery stores with salad bars to spray their raw produce with a sulfite preservative.

How do restaurants keep salad fresh? ›

That's why restaurants store their lettuce in special perforated bins that allow for air circulation while it's held in the fridge. Removing the air does help prevent oxidation, which is what causes lettuce to turn brown but has nothing to do with lettuce staying crisp.

Will salad stay fresh in a ziplock bag? ›

Place your salad greens in an airtight container.

The worst way to store your salad greens is to leave them in the opened bag that you bought them in. See the comparison below. If you don't have an airtight container handy, put your salad leaves in a ziplock bag with a paper towel to help extend their life.

Does lemon juice keep salad fresh? ›

Absolutely! I almost always put some lemon or lime juice on salad greens before I dress a salad. One reason is because I like the flavor. Another reason is that citric acid can help kill any harmful bacteria on the surface of the greens.

References

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