No doubt you’ve seen the memes mocking the frustrating cycle of buying fresh greens only to throw them out, uneaten, a week later before replacing them with a new bag. You can even purchase cocktail napkins that say, “Just bought a head of lettuce. Should I throw it away now or wait two weeks like I usually do?” But, in fact, buying a head of lettuce is actually one way to extend the life of your greens; if you’re a fan of bagged salads, you’ve got even less time to consume them before they take on that unappetizing, slimy texture.
Thankfully, there are a few tried and true ways to keep your bagged salad fresh a bit longer. As with storing heads of romaine lettuce, the goal is to regulate moisture. Too much humidity, and you’re looking at slimy greens; too little, and they begin to wilt. The trick is to keep the bag cold and add a paper towel after opening to soak up excess moisture.
It’s a delicate balance that begins at the grocery store: when choosing your bagged salad, don’t just grab any ol’ bag off the shelf. Check both the “best by” date and the contents of the bag. Do the leaves already look questionable? Grab a different bag. Furthermore, remember certain types of greens last longer than others. Generally speaking, thicker, hardier greens like kale can stick it out for a greater length of time than their more delicate relatives, like arugula and baby spinach.
Bringing your salad home
The drive home from the grocery store is also critical. Keep your bagged salad as close to standard refrigerator temperature as possible; if it gets too warm, condensation could build up, adding too much moisture to the bag.
Once you’re home, get those greens straight into the fridge — preferably the crisper drawer. As long as the bag stays sealed, you’ve got about 5 to 7 days. However, once you’ve opened the bag — if you’re not eating it all in one sitting — you’re living on a shortened timeline since it’s harder to maintain that moisture balance. Now, you can do one or two things to extend that time: Either place a paper towel in the bag and shut it with a bag clip or transfer the greens to a zippered plastic bag, storing them with a paper towel to absorb moisture.
In the event that your salad does seem to be losing its zest for life, metaphorically, you can always refresh it by using an ice bath. And if it’s a salad kit you’re dealing with, rather than just a bag of lettuce or the like, don’t forget to save the tasty mix-ins, which typically stay fresher much longer than the lettuce.
