I was eating dinner with a friend today. She asked how I prepared the micro green salad I served. I said, simply, "Just wash in the salad spinner." "What?" she said, genuinely not knowing what a salad spinner does. This isn't a story to make fun of her, because up until a few years ago, I had no use for a salad spinner either. It seemed like a gimmicky one-use tool, precisely the kind of junk I try to avoid bringing into the kitchen.

Now that I'm consuming lots of fresh from the garden greens, I use a salad spinner almost daily. I clean mint for cocktails, kale and greens for meals, and leaves for salad.

If you don't know, a salad spinner has a colander type bowl in which you place greens, herbs, or other unwashed leafy vegetables. Veggies are rinsed with water in the colander. Then, the colander bowl is placed inside a solid bowl and a lid with spinner is set on top. A pump or pullstring spins the colander. Water spins to the sides and collects in the solid bowl. You are left with washed, dry fresh greens.

I have an OXO SoftWorks Little Salad and Herb Spinner.

It is perfect for making salads for two. When I make a big salad for large family gatherings or potlucks I run two or three batches. I prefer the small size because it fits easily in our kitchen cabinets. We have used this with no sign of wear for over 3 years.

While I have not tested many other models, I can say I do not recommend the KitchenAid Professional Salad Spinner. My parents have this model.

The size is unwieldy and the design is overly complicated. A lock mechanism is very difficult to un-secure and use.

Do you have a salad spinner? Do you love it as much as I do?