Other Foods to Dry in a Salad Bowl
After losing my salad spinner as a result of a divorce, I resisted replacing it for several years. I was in the habit of buying pre-washed salad leaves – and living in a tiny one-room apartment – so a bulky, dedicated greenery dryer didn’t seem necessary.
But then I moved into the house and started gardening and found my usual system of air drying washed food on kitchen towels was ineffective – it was just too much salad. I found this collapsible beauty from Prepworks and immediately regretted my years without spinners.
I started to eat more salad – with my homemade herbs – but quickly realized that the spinner could be used to dry things other than romaine, defrosted spinach, or vegetables softened with a little salt, such as mushrooms, shrimp, and scallops. …
Spin your mushrooms
As you probably know, mushrooms absorb water, but they also grow in mud. I do not like to eat dirt (even commercial mushrooms are collected from “clean” dirt), so I wash my mushrooms. A quick rinse will not leave them full, especially if you spin them immediately afterwards.
What’s more, you can rinse the mushrooms right in the salad spinner basket, then put them back in and twist like a bunch of lettuce. After the excess water has been wiped off the mushrooms, you can cook as usual. I highly recommend starting with a dry skillet for the best browning possible.
Twist the seafood
In addition to salads and champignons, we have shrimp and scallops that brown better if they are dried before being put into the pan. Of course, you can blot them with paper towels, but you can also spin-dry them, which reduces paper waste and removes excess surface moisture from the seafood.
The procedure for drying shrimp and scallops in a salad spinning rod is the same as for drying a salad. Put them in the basket and twirl. When the tasty seafood treats are dry to the touch, remove, sauté and eat. (Then remember to wash the spinner. Performance is good, cross-contamination is not.)