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The best tools are the ones you continue to reach for even when their novelty has worn off. They are the ones that you keep using over and over again. You don’t ever hesitate to invest in cleaning, storing or caring for them because you know the value they bring is so great. Such is the case of the venerable OXO salad spinner, the modern evolution of a brilliant product patented in the early ‘70s by French designers Jean Mantelet and Gilberte Fouineteau.
My own experience with the spinner goes back well into my single-in-New York days when a wise married friend of mine implored me to pick one up immediately and suggested that my culinary life was impossibly hobbled by its absence. I recall laughing about it at the time, but as soon as I pushed down on the plunger for the first time, I realized that this was going to be a game changer.
One important note: The salad spinner is easy enough to engage, but many people aren’t using it correctly. While you can use the basket as a basic colander to drain water, it’s best to keep the basket in the bowl while submerging the lettuce or greens entirely in water, and then pour out said water before spinning the vegetables dry. This way, you’re properly cleaning and drying, and you can keep your eyes on the water to ensure it’s good and clean.
I’ve always opted for the plastic version, and they have served me well for decades, but the spinner also comes in stainless and with a glass bowl, if either of those suits your fancy.
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