It’s a good idea to always wash lettuce and other leafy greens before you eat them. Whether the lettuce came from a home garden, farm market, or grocery store it could be carrying organisms that cause food borne illness, such as E. coli, or traces of pesticides. Soil and other debris may also cling to lettuce and need to be removed.
Method 1 of 2: Washing Lettuce
Wash lettuce just before you use it. Keep in mind though, that it doesn’t store as well after washing.
1Remove any dark, crushed or wilted outer leaves from head lettuce and discard them.Ad
2Cut off any roots that remain on the lettuce. You should remove the core of iceberg or head lettuce, for example, before washing; that’s the hard stem at the bottom and center of the head. Cut it out with a sharp knife. Then cut head lettuce into 4 pieces.
3Place the lettuce in a clean sink.
4Fill the sink with cold water and let the lettuce soak for 5 minutes.
5Drain the water and leave the lettuce in the sink.
6Rinse the lettuce with clean, cold, running water.
- Separate the leaves of loose leaf or romaine type lettuce so each can be examined and rinsed.
- Let the water flow over all surfaces of the leaves.
- Rinse them thoroughly so that all visible signs of soil are removed.
Method 2 of 2: Drying Lettuce
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- Soap isn’t needed to clean lettuce if it is thoroughly rinsed. Research shows that washing vegetables in clean water is as effective in removing bacteria and soil as washing them in soap solutions, vinegar or salt water.
- Store lettuce in the crisper bin of the refrigerator until you are ready to wash it to best preserve its freshness.
- The FDA says that packaged lettuce and other greens that say pre-washed or ready to eat do not need to be washed before using.
- Don’t allow lettuce to soak in water for too long. The exception to this is if the lettuce looks slightly wilted. You can try soaking wilted lettuce in very cold water for 15 minutes and seeing if it looks better.
- Organically grown lettuce still needs to be washed. It can be contaminated with organisms that cause food borne illness as easily as conventionally grown lettuce.
- Wash your hands with soap and hot water before washing lettuce.
- Clean your sink with hot water and soap or scouring powder and rinse it well before using it to wash lettuce and other produce. Kitchen sinks often have as many germs as a toilet. It is also important to clean countertops and cutting boards before placing clean lettuce or other greens on them.
Things You’ll Need
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
Sources and Citations
Categories: Basic Cooking Skills
Recent edits by: Noah Lovelady-Allen, Souphead, Gia
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