Scratching your head, wondering how you could come up with a solid solution on how to keep lettuce fresh for longer? Fact is, no one likes a soggy lettuce – wilted leaves, soggy texture, and a horrible experience altogether.
A fresh lettuce, on the other hand, is probably one of the most refreshing things you could ever consume in the most natural of ways.
Problem is, if you’re like most people with a busy schedule (or simply have too many other cool things to do), preparing salad every time you want to eat it can be a tedious task.
Lucky for you, there are a few ways you could try to keep lettuce fresh for longer (and in some cases for even up to three weeks).
Ensuring moisture stays out
Too much moisture in your salad will mean that your salad can’t stay fresh for long. A lot of water particles are retained in leafy greens due to the large surface area they hold.
To remove as much moisture as possible, run your lettuce through a salad spinner followed by a quick dab on paper towels.
If you’d like to take things a step further, fold in a paper towel or two into your lettuce container (or fresh and crisp vegetable bag) to ensure any leftover moisture is removed from your salad.
Separate your ingredients
Mixing with other ingredients can lead to your lettuce going bad quicker. The close contact of nutrients and compounds between certain ingredients can result in faster ripening or wilting.
For example, bananas and apples help avocados ripen quickly – which is a big nono if you want to mix these fruit together in your salad mix.
By storing your salad ingredients in separate fresh and crisp bags, you ensure that your salad stays fresher for longer. All you’ll have to do is throw them together when you’re ready to eat your salad.
Using clear lettuce containers
Lettuce containers are airtight by nature to avoid any air for getting into your salads. Exposure to air is the reason why your salad goes bad quickly due to oxidisation.
Now, there is an emphasis on the word “clear” for good reason.
Having a clear lettuce container allows you to see what’s going on behind the scenes and to keep you on top of things. By giving your salad container a good look every now and then, you’ll be able to notice when your greens are wilting. If you keep wilted greens mixed together with fresher ones, your salad will turn bad quickly as there is excess moisture in the container.
The secret reveal of fresh and crisp bags
Fresh and crisp vegetable bags work wonders for helping lettuce stay fresh in the fridge for as long as three weeks. Not only are these bags easy to get your hands on, but they’re also very affordable.
Designed specifically to maintain a vacuumed space within, fresh and crisp bags keep the moisture and air at bay, thus ensuring that your veggies and fruits stay fresh.
If you don’t have any fresh and crisp bags at hand, consider using glad wrap to wrap up your lettuce for the time being until your next grocery run.