The Best Salad Spinner On The Market
We all want to get healthier. That’s just a fact. Even those who are the healthiest among us are forever chasing a way to get just a little bit healthier. We all want a few less calories and a lot more energy. Simply put, we could all use a few more salads in our lives. That’s right, big, glorious, nutritious, and delicious salads to fill our plates with plates with bright colors and our bellies with rich nutrients and vitamins. We all want it. The trouble is that it’s hard to get it.
Salads may seem easy to make, but they are no joke. Bad salads are easy to make. Good salads? They take far more time, effort, and care than most people are willing to admit. You have to truly care for your salad to get the best results. It takes time. You must find the right ingredients. You must get them fresh. You must prepare them with care. You must season them just right. But before you even do any of that, you need to clean those veggies!
Cleaning your vegetables properly is a vital component of any good salad-making sessions, yet it’s also the one element of salad-making that we are too often willing to neglect. It’s important not to do that. It’s important to take your salad’s cleanliness seriously and there’s no better way to do that then to purchase a salad spinner. A good salad spinner can forever change and elevate how you prepare your greens. While it may seem like a needless extravagance, a good salad spinner can actually be something of a centerpiece to your kitchen.
The only question is which salad spinner to choose! There are so many available, each and every one of them so tempting and promising for their own distinct reasons. Trying to suss out the best one for your family from all the competition can be difficult. That’s where we come in. Below, we are proud to present a list of our favorite salad spinners on the market along with their individual pros and cons. Below that you’ll find a more thorough buyers guide exploring everything to look out for in a good salad spinner. In other words, by the end of this article you will be ready, willing, and prepared to get out there and purchase the salad spinner that you deserve!
Best Overall Salad Spinner — OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner
It’s hard to find anyone who loves salad spinners and has taken the time to try a variety of them who doesn’t agree that the OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner is easily the best one on the market. Even America’s Test Kitchen agrees. If you need to spin your greens, this is the sweetest ride that you can give them.
It has a clear bowl so you can see exactly how much water is whipping off of your lettuce. It has a convenient push button mechanism so that your arm won’t get tired from all that cranking. It’s dishwasher safe. It’s made out of environmentally friendly BPA-free plastic. Best of all, the spinner even has a break function so that you can instantly stop the spinning whenever you’re done without having to wait around for the momentum to stop. All things considered, it’s not even that expensive (though it’s certainly not cheap). If you want the best salad spinner without needless extravagance, the OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner is the one for you.
Pros
- BPA-free plastic.
- Push button spin design with break.
- The button locks for easy storage.
- Dishwasher safe.
Cons
- On the expensive side.
Best Premium Salad Spinner — Rosle Stainless Steel Salad Spinner
If you have a premium kitchen with a stainless steal aesthetic, then you don’t want to bring a standard plastic salad spinner into the mix. You’re going to want something that fits into your kitchen. You’re going to want a salad spinner that adds a little extra class to your greens. You’re going to want the Rosle Stainless Steel Salad Spinner. This is the Porsche of salad spinners, the Apple of salad spinners, and the Tiffany’s of salad spinners. This is a status symbol as much as it is a salad spinner.
Made of gorgeous stainless steel with a glass lid, this isn’t a salad spinner to shove in a cupboard where no one can see it. You’ll want to display this beauty. You may even want to design your whole kitchen around it. Of course, the Rosle Stainless Steel Salad Spinner also works and works well. It operates with the standard crank system and gets the job done with speed and style. It’s also dishwasher safe and is such a well-designed premium product that Rosle even offers a lifetime warranty (and warranties aren’t exactly common in the salad spinner game). Of course all of that comes with a price, which is quite extravagant by salad spinner standards. Only consider one of these bad boys if money is no object. This isn’t just a bowl to dry your greens, it’s a carousel of dreams.
Pros
- Stunning design.
- Smooth crank spin function.
- Dishwasher safe.
Cons
- Quite expensive by salad spinner standards.
Best Budget Salad Spinner — Emsa Basic Salad Spinner
On the other end of the spectrum comes the Emsa Basic Salad Spinner. The word ‘basic’ is in the name and it lives up to that statement. There’s nothing special about this salad spinner. However, it still gets the job done. It’s translucent so you can see the water collect, the rotary spin handle is recessed for easy storage, and it works quite well. It is not BPA-free, dishwasher safe, or particularly aesthetically appealing. That impressive price tag easily makes up for any design deficiencies.
Pros
- Incredibly cheap.
- Recessed spin handle for easy storage.
Cons
- Not dishwasher safe.
- Not BPA-free.
- Not fancy.
Most Versatile Salad Spinner — Good Cook Salad Spinner Deluxe
Everyone loves a multi-tasker. Sure, all salad spinners will dry your lettuce (even if they do it poorly). But how many salad spinners also have a large spout and handle so that you can use it to mix drinks, pancake batter, tea, or juice? Only the Good Cook Salad Spinner Deluxe, of course. As suggested by that “deluxe” in the title, this is a special salad spinner unlike any other. It can delivers a variety of tasks in your kitchen and become more than just salad spinner for your family.
Of course, it also delivers the salad spinner goods. It’s got a large capacity bowl, a soft touch turn knob for gentle use, and a translucent basket for easy monitoring. It’s also made of BPA-free plastic and dishwasher safe. So there’s really nothing to complain about. Not even the price. Sure, there are prettier and fancier salad spinners out there, but nothing can compete with the functionality of the Good Cook Salad Spinner Deluxe.
Pros
- Soft touch handle for easy use.
- BPA-free plastic.
- Dishwasher safe.
Cons
- Not particularly pretty or extravagant.
Things To Look Out For
Here are some things to consider when choosing which salad spinner is right for you.
Quality Of Construction
There are plenty of cheap salad spinners out there that will fall apart after a few substantial salads. That’s not what you want. You want a salad spinner that’s built to last. One that you might even be able to leave to your children so that your grand kids will be able to enjoy fresh and clean salads just like the ones you used to make. You’ll want to make sure that they are sturdy to the touch and a warranty is a good sign as well. Generally speaking, if you see a salad spinner and think to yourself, “I can’t believe how cheap that is!” then you shouldn’t buy it.
Capacity
There are a variety of sizes of salad spinners available to suit a variety of needs. Which one will be the best addition to your home really depends on what you need in a salad spinner. If you plan to use your spinner purely to dry herbs or make solo salads for yourself, then a 2-quart spinner should suit you just fine. However, if you also plan to use your salad spinner to feed an extended family or dry some delicate clothing items, then a 4 or 5-quart spinner is probably a better fit. Take the time to consider this carefully. While a small salad spinner might be a appealing to save you some storage space, you might regret it down the road.
A Locking Lid
Cheap salad spinners often have a simple lid that rests on top of the spinner. That might seem like all that’s necessary to the untrained eye. However, experienced salad spinner aficionados know that this is a potential hazard. If that lid isn’t secure, if could pop off in the middle of a spinning session due to the power of the centrifuge. The next thing you know, there will be lettuce all over your kitchen and a frown on your face. Don’t let this happen. Find yourself a salad spinner with a lid that locks.
Serving Bowl
Some, but not all, salad spinners have an outer bowl that can double for serving. If storage space is a concern, make sure to find one of these spinners. Otherwise, you’ll need to store a whole other serving bowl in addition to your spinner.
The Spinning Mechanism
While it might be hard to believe, there are a wide variety of salad spinner designs. The bulk of the differences come down to the spinning mechanism itself. Some have hand cranks, others have push buttons or levers. All of them will dry your lettuce. So it really all comes down to personal preference and comfort. Find the one that is right for you. There is no correct choice of salad spinner beyond that.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Are salad spinners really a necessity?
We hear this one a lot and the simple answer is, “Yes, absolutely!” Do they take up a lot of shelf and/or counter space? Of course they do. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth it. Ensuring that you salads and herbs are freshly washed and dry before consumption is worth losing a little shelf space for. Would you rather lose a little shelf space or eat greens that are either wet or dirty? We thought so.
Are there any other uses for spinners?
Absolutely! You can also use them to dry off freshly cooked pasta to protect the integrity of your sauce or to get the noodles ready for a nice pasta salad. The same is true for beans and berries. Believe it or not, salad spinners are even able to remove the seeds from canned tomatoes! You could even use a salad spinner to dry out a swing suit or delicate clothes that you are too scared to put in the dryer. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.
Are salad spinners dish washer safe?
Obviously, there are exceptions to every rule. But in general, yes. It is safe to run your salad spinner through a dishwasher (as long as it’s in the top shelf anyways). Some made out of delicate and/or thin plastic may warp due to dishwasher heat. So, use your own discretion, if you are at all concerned.
Is it possible to get an environmentally friendly salad spinner?
Yes, there are plenty of salad spinners available that are BPA free. If it isn’t listed on the box or Amazon listing, assume this isn’t the case. Just hunt around. You’ll find one.
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