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The Best Salad Spinners of 2024
Ready to add some spin to your salad game? Dive into our guide on the
best salad spinners of 2024! Salad spinners, your kitchen's unsung
heroes, swiftly dry greens with a whirl, ensuring crisp and crunchy
salads every time and making meal prep a breeze. Say goodbye to soggy leaves and hello to fresh,
vibrant bowls of goodness. Our top selections will have you spinning with joy in the kitchen, especially our favorite choice from Zulay Kitchen. It features a large capacity and a durable build for long-lasting use. So, let's toss up some fun as we explore salad spinners!Our Top Picks For Salad Spinners
View all ContentsThe Best Salad Spinners
Best Overall
The Zulay Kitchen Manual Salad Spinner is a versatile
and efficient tool. Designed to simplify the process of preparing fresh
and crisp salads, this salad spinner is equipped with a spacious
five-liter capacity. It is tailored for those who appreciate the
convenience of washing, rinsing, and drying large quantities of greens
with ease. The thoughtfully designed construction ensures that each leaf
is thoroughly cleaned and crisply spun dry as well.It makes the salad preparation process a total breeze. Designed with
functionality in mind, this salad spinner is not just a time-saver but
it’s also a durable addition to any kitchen repertoire. The efficient
water drainage system guarantees that excess water is easily dispelled,
leaving you with perfectly dried greens ready for dressing. Crafted from
sturdy materials, this salad spinner is built to withstand the rigors
of regular use, and that’s why it’s our top pick.Pros
- Features a generous capacity
- Provides efficient water drainage
- Constructed from sturdy and durable materials
Cons
- Requires significant storage space
Best Quality
First on our list is the gold standard of salad spinners. This one from Oxo is the number one bestseller on Amazon, and for a good reason. Everything about this particular salad spinner, from its spinning mechanism to its capacity of 6.22 Qt, is on point. Even the clear material is ideal as it allows you to actively monitor the salad during the cleaning and drying process without having to open the lid, and it also fits perfectly in almost every kitchen.
Then there is the spinning and braking mechanism of this salad spinner which has the Oxo patented pump mechanism and brake button. The whole thing works like a charm without any hitches or issues. It spins when you want it to and stops when you want. Plus, the quality of Oxo ensures that your spinner will work like new, even after months of regular use.
Pros
- Minimalist clear design
- Durable construction material
- Comes with a non-slip ring under the base
Cons
- Requires quite a bit of force to spin fast
Great for Single Servings
Next in line is another option from Oxo. The number one bestseller version of Oxo Good Grips salad spinner is fantastic, but it is also a bit too large. This is especially for folks that usually make single servings of salad. If you’re in a similar boat, then this smaller 3 quarts spinner is perfect for you. This smaller size also makes it extremely portable and easy to store.
Everything other than the size is exactly how it should be. The spinning and braking mechanism is responsive, the construction material is strong and reliable, and the white transparent design ensures that it fits in every kitchen, no matter the background.
Pros
- Ideal for single salad servings
- Made from BPA-free plastics
- The pump can lock flat for easy storage
Cons
- Requires even more force to spin fast
Contender
The transparent bowls from Oxo are excellent for blending them in with almost every kitchen design. However, they can also feel bland and uninspired at times. This is where the Farberware salad spinner comes into the picture. It takes the classic top-mounted pump spinner design and adds quite a bit of flair to it with white lid and green accents. The green on the basket is also very close to the fresh greens you would be washing and drying in this spinner.
Plus, even if you completely ignore the design of this spinner, it is still a fantastic option for many. The pump and brake are second to none, the 5.25 Qt capacity is enough to make enough salad for a small family, and the whole thing is built to last. The base of this spinner is also nice and wide, so you can get it spinning really fast without having any wobble issues or instability in the bowl.
Pros
- Wholesome white and green design
- Made from sturdy material
Cons
- The spinning mechanism may get stuck at times
Honorable Mention
Next on our list is a salad spinner from Cuisinart. It looks like a very normal salad spinner at first glance. But it does not have the same pump to spin mechanism as the previous three options on this list. Instead, it has a handle on top that you have to spin manually. This method is both better and worse, as you have increased control over the pace of the device, but it also requires significantly more movement to achieve the same results.
The thing that makes this salad spinner a part of this list, however, is not its mechanism, design, or construction quality. They are all fairly decent, but the special factor about this particular spinner is its low price. It is, in fact, the cheapest option on our list for just under $19. Despite its low price, it is still a fully functional salad spinner that will work fine for a long time if you take care of it properly.
Pros
- Offers great value for your money
- Easy to add and drain water without removing the lid
- Bowl is made from sturdy clear plastic
Cons
- Requires more force to operate than other methods
Also Consider
The last option on our list is also the most interesting one. This salad spinner from Mueller stands out immediately with its unusual design. You do not see any pump to press or knob to rotate. So, how can you get this thing to work? Well, this spinner works by pulling a plastic hook to the side. This ingenious design makes operating one of these spinners extremely easy as you are not pushing down or swinging your arm around. Plus, the braking button is right next to the pulling hook, so you can fully operate this thing with one hand.
The rest of the spinner is not less impressive either. The whole thing is made from reinforced ABS plastic, giving it exceptional strength. Even the spinning mechanism is made with reliability in mind. Lastly, the combination of vibrant orange and white looks aesthetic and adds a hint of color to most kitchens.
Pros
- Well-designed spinning mechanism
- Anti wobble base
- Made from reinforced ABS plastic
- Lively orange and white colors
Cons
- May be too small for some users
Best Design
The Zulay Kitchen Large Salad Spinner is your ultimate kitchen companion. If you want to create an effortless and efficient salad preparation process, then this salad spinner is designed for you. It helps take the hassle out of washing and drying your leafy greens and vegetables. That way, it ensures that your salads are fresh, crisp, and ready to delight your taste buds. With its impressive water removal capabilities, this spinner efficiently drains excess moisture.
In turn, it has the power to prevent soggy salads, which guarantees that your ingredients stay in perfect condition. This salad spinner also stands out thanks to its generous capacity. It’s the ideal choice for households of all sizes. Plus, the user-friendly design ensures that you can use it with ease while the dishwasher-safe components simplify the cleaning process.
Pros
- Effective at drying lettuce
- Has a secure lid lock
- Compact for easy storage
Cons
- Can be too bulky to store
Salad Spinners: A Buying Guide
Every day, more and more people are realizing the need to eat healthily. Salads, in particular, are exploding in popularity.
Unfortunately, preparing a healthy salad at home can be quite a hassle. Cleaning and then drying the greens, in particular, is quite challenging without ruining the salad. Luckily, salad spinners make the most tedious parts of making a salad, the cleaning, one of the easiest.
How Do Salad Spinners Work?
Salad spinners are a two-in-one combination of a washing machine and dryer, just a lot smaller and hand-operated. Here’s how they work:
Construction
The salad spinner consists of three main components. The first of these is the bowl. This is just a large, strong bowl and is very often completely transparent. Then there is the plastic strainer that holds the vegetables. This is the thing that spins to clean and dry the veggies. Lastly, we have the lid, which is sort of the brain of this device. It contains the mechanism that makes the strainer spin.
Washing
Washing is done by filling the strainer with the veggies, closing the lid, and filling the bowl with water. The next step is to spin the strainer fast. This will create a sort of water wave inside the strainer that will take off a large chunk of the dirt and stuff from the salad. Just drain the bowl after that, and you’re done.
If the veggies are particularly dirty, you can repeat this process multiple times until you’re happy with the final results.
Drying
Drying works almost identically to basic clothes drier. Just remove all of the water from the washing session and spin the strainer very fast. This will create an outward centrifugal force on the contents of the strainer, removing water from the greens. Just drain the removed water, and you’ve got yourself a salad that is just the right amount of moisture.
What Are the Different Salad Spinning Mechanisms?
There are hundreds of different salad spinners to choose from on Amazon. A large number of these options come with a unique spinning mechanism design. However, not all of these designs are created equally. A lot of them are completely useless, while a few work exceptionally well. These are the three mechanisms that work the best.
Pump style
This style of spinner involves a pump that can be pressed down. This downward motion triggers a few gears and makes the strainer spin. It is fast and reliable, although it can take quite a bit of effort to spin it fast.
Crank style
The crank-style spinning mechanism is fairly old but still fully functional. It involves a crank/knob on top that you spin like an antique stone grain grinder. These spinners are not as structurally sound as the pump mechanism, but they still hold very well during regular home use.
Pull style
The pull method of salad strainer spinning is fairly new and is only found in a handful of famous salad spinners. However, it has a lot of benefits over the other two mechanisms. The key feature of these is that they are fairly easy for you. You do not need to put much effort into it.
The long-term reliability of this style of spinner is still in question, but they seem to be holding up pretty well so far.
What Is the Right Size for a Salad Spinner?
Salad spinners come in all sorts of sizes and capacities, and there is not a single “right” option among these. Instead, the choice depends entirely on your needs.
- A salad spinner with a capacity of 2 quarts is suitable for only a single small serving of salad.
- A salad spinner with a capacity of 3 quarts allows you to make enough salad for a single full serving.
- A salad spinner with a capacity between 4 and 5 quarts will let you make a salad for a small family.
- Salad spinners of 6 quarts or more are suitable for making enough salad for more than five folks at a time.
Additional Features To Look for in Salad Spinners
If you’re trying to get extra bang for your buck, these are some of the features and attributes you should look out for when buying a salad spinner:
Locking lid
A tight-fit locking lid is necessary as it will allow you to drain the water while keeping the lid on, so you can do another round. You can also leave the salad inside the spinner for a few hours, and it will stay fresh as long as the lid is airtight.
Dishwasher-safe construction
A salad spinner made from BPA-free and dishwasher-safe plastic is an obvious choice. Luckily, almost all spinners from reputable brands like Oxo follow this guideline. But, there are also plenty of cheap no-name spinners that do not state these features on their product page. Avoiding these unmarked spinners is the best choice, even if they can save you a few dollars.
People Also Asked
Do salad spinners have other uses besides washing and drying greens?
Yes, salad spinners can be versatile kitchen tools. Besides washing and drying greens, they can be used to dry herbs, vegetables, or fruits after washing, and some models can even function as storage containers for keeping produce fresh in the fridge.
How do I clean and maintain a salad spinner?
To clean a salad spinner, disassemble it and wash the parts with warm, soapy water, then rinse and air dry thoroughly. Regular maintenance involves checking for any food residue or debris in the spinner and ensuring the mechanism spins smoothly. If needed, lubricate the spinner's gears with food-grade oil.
How do I use a salad spinner effectively?
To use a salad spinner effectively, place washed greens in the basket, cover, and spin the handle or press the button to rotate. Repeat spinning until the greens are dry, then remove and enjoy crisp, ready-to-eat salad leaves.
