Bleh!!! I just opened a bag of salad and already it tastes terrible. I bought the furthest dated one I could find, but now, after just a few days, the edges of the lettuce are browning and the rest of it just looks icky. How do you all keep salad fresh??
I would love to know the same thing. Joyce prefers the salad like that but I have the same problem. Personally I like the plain, off the head, lettuce myself but by the bagged to try to get vegetables in her. Even if I put it in the crisper it looks bad fast.
I sometimes think you're supposed to use it all up after you open it. It's almost better to buy the vegetables separately and make the salad yourself.
Do not store it in the plastic bag. Plastic will turn veggies faster than anything. And those bags are not airtight, anyhow.
My mom told me that BAGGED DOLE salads were recalled for salmanilla. The same thing happened to us, I think that the grocery store is not putting them in refrigeration soon enough, they are "sweating" and turning brown before they "expire" I made Mac a salad the old fashioned way and it looked better than the bagged did any way, but I just put the rest of the cucumber in some apple cider vinagar for the rest of us (I was being lazy)-- but also they like that.
If you core your lettuce and wrap it in paper towel (2 sheets long) it will keep fresh, don't use a metal knife to cut lettuce, a plastic one is ok, but just hand tear is better.
I don't usually buy the bagged salads unless I know I'm going to use it within a day AND that I'm going to use ALL of it. I buy a head of romaine lettuce and cut it up, wash it, spin it (cheapy spinner from Walmart is $3), THEN put it in a zippy bag with a paper towel. The paper towel keeps the lettuce from getting wilty from too much water, BUT also lends humidity to keep the lettuce fresh and crispy. I usually can get 5 days to a week out of a romaine. I SOMETIMES will buy shredded carrots. Toss a bit of chopped romaine, shredded carrots and a thinly sliced scallion and viola, you have a salad
I am way too scared of the bagged salads these days! I DO NOT want my family sick. I always make my own. It isn't much trouble to shred or cut up veggies and I can make just the right amount I need without having a bunch left to wilt and rot.
Thanks for the papertowel tip, I think I'll do that next time! My dh recently told me about the plastic versus metal and so I'll have to try that, but you're right, it's just best to use you clean bare hands. Easier, too! Plus, it can be a stress buster on those days you just need to really destress on something.:lol:
You know what my dh told me to do with lettuce.. feed the lettuce to the rabbit and eat the rabbit... then no one will get sick. that man
