Salad spinner

A cover, which fits around the outside bowl, contains a spinning mechanism that when initiated causes the inside strainer to rotate rapidly.

The salad spinner is generally easy to use, though its large and rigid shape has been criticized by food editor Leanne Kitchen and Herald-Journal reporter Mary Hunt.

Although devices used to wash, dry and spin salad have long been in existence, including one from the 19th century, the modern mechanism-operated spinner originated in the early 1970s.

[1] Although the invention of the salad spinner is considered to be modern, earlier devices, including one from the 19th century, did exist and performed similar functions.

One such device was a wire basket dryer, in essence a collapsible colander, which could be shaken or spun to expel the excess water.

[3] Paper or fabric towels were also commonly used for drying salad and vegetables after washing, however the method was perceived as time-consuming and costly.

[1][3] The product received criticism for being “another gourmet gadget” and the latest piece of “kitchen junk” to add to the growing list of new appliances which included hot dog cookers, cookie shooters and electric potato peelers.

[1] The product even appealed to skeptics and was thought to be a time saver compared to the “tedious hand method of patting dry each leaf” that was known for leaving "soggy linen" and towels.

[1] A report at the time estimated that the money spent on a month's supply of paper towel reserved for drying lettuce could easily be enough to pay for a new salad dryer.

Costas Katsigris suggests that an increased rise in foodborne illness outbreaks has encouraged the use of salad washers and spinners.

Once drained, the greens are spun, which generates a centripetal force that drives the excess moisture, through the perforation in the central strainer, to the outer bowl.