I don't buy the bagged salads because they smell very odd to me when you open the bag.
I bought a plastic knife designed to cut lettuce. It also seems to help prevent the unused part stored in the fridge from turning brown.
I think the type of refridgerator you have also can influence storage life of fruits and vegetables.
I also buy iceberg, nice and crunchy. Lasts much longer than the posh stuff.
Produce here is mostly a rip off. It's not different in France, if it brings any comfort, even the markets are expensive in FR but that might just be snobby Divonne. Casino or other retailers however sell stuff in bulk that usually lasts about twice as long as the stuff in Manor, Migros, Coop or Denner. Way cheaper, too. I don't think I just get lucky with pears, apples, lettuce and other stuff past almost a decade.
( if you want lettuce to last, don't cut ot off the stem till you eat it)
If you cut lettuce with a knife the eges will turn brown quickly. If you pull the leaves apart they do not.
+1
We got a new fridge just before Christmas - I suspected the old one wasn't keeping the temperature as low as it should be. Veg now keeps twice as long as it did before. It helps that you can control the humidity in this new fridge, too.
Slightly related but a bit OT, there was a news item on TV not so long ago about supermarkets in the UK doing cheap "3 for 2" deals on veg and other perishables which was coming in for heavy criticism because people were buying too much which meant inevitable wastage in the majority of cases.
Bagged lettuce just isn't designed to last for ever.
This is a pertinent point - and also validates the special plastic knife (and we know there is no dearth of gadgets in CH ) - if I recall correctly it has to do with the way the cells are broken and thus exposed to oxygen that triggers the browning. It is somewhat similar with fresh basil, does one tear it, roll it and then cut...etc. Loads of theories....and at the moment of standing there with the basil I just act on impulse
Not citric acid just plain old fashioned bleach.
Yummm
Thinking of the thread discussion about where to buy bleach for cleaning - the salad shelves??
I just had some salad..I really wish to avoid thinking about the bleach on it.
I'd prefer to think about the awesomest flax seed oil and yummy pumpkin seed oil I put on it. And roasted seeds. With some gruyere. I think it makes anything taste like heaven.
The other thing that I really enjoy in a salad is a handful of pistachio nuts (minus shells of course).
I love pistachios but have never put it on a salad, I gotta do that.
I think the moral of the story is, even if your salad got a bit tired on the way home from the store, you might resurrect it with some nifty trimmings.
Otherwise, baby spinach leaves seem immortal for quite a long time, and have a bit more nutritions than just Iceberg.
Just do what I do: Hate lettuce.
Problem solved.
yes- baby spinach lasts super long. i'm really into the sprouts on my salads now and since strawberries are on sale i'm throwing them in- so good with oil and vinegar.
the market produce is pricey- but they have good greens that stores don't. the mustard green stuff is great and spicey. ok- going to make a salad now
I concur, strawberries with vinagrette on lettuce is really nice. Grapes as well, with walnuts and blue cheese.
Maybe its the lactic acid and peracetic acid that they put in with the bagged salads. Yummo.
I would kill for strawberries and balsamico
Really good strawberries don't need dressing
My 15-yr old has been trying to sell me on the balsamico thing for a while, so I eat the strawberries on the way home from store(-:
I am surprised that nobody has mentioned the answer...
Get married and have lots of children, like this you will never have left over salad.
On second thoughts, that might cost more.
Kids and salad? They are usually not so psyched about it.
Ok I let the first ever bag of salad rot because of the bleach and bacteria comments. I used to chop my own mix but became lazy recently. Time to go back to old ways?
Seriously though is it that bad? Swiss salad not hand washed with baby soap under fresh running mountain water by Heidi?