What Is the Best Way to Put Lettuce in A Fridge

Updated on April 12, 2022

Keep reading if you’d want to learn how to keep lettuce from browning. How many times have you thrown out perfectly good fresh food because it withered too soon? If you’re like most home cooks, you’re constantly trying to figure out how to keep lettuce fresh.

This leafy green is well-deserving of its position on the dinner table. Salads, sides, and entrees all benefit from its inclusion. In addition to being delicious and nutritious, it’s a great addition to any meal.

What Is the Best Way to Put Lettuce in A Fridge

To Store a full head of lettuce, You may keep a whole head of lettuce in a plastic bag by wrapping the head in a damp paper towel. Refrigerate until ready to use. Individual lettuce leaves can be stored in a lettuce keeper in the refrigerator after being washed and spun dry. In order to prevent bruising and the development of bacteria, a container is the ideal option.

How to Wash Lettuce

Your lettuce’s leaves are home to more than meets the eye. lettuce is a breeding ground for bacteria, fungi, insects, dirt, and pesticides. Getting rid of these bothersome microorganisms is a top priority. Remove them as soon as possible by giving them a good washing.

To avoid forgetting, wash your lettuce as soon as you come home from the supermarket. Take out any leaves that are broken or slimy before you begin to wash the lettuce. Remove any wilting leaves from the outer edges of head lettuce. This reduces the amount of moisture that is left behind, allowing the remaining greens to last longer. Then, use a salad spinner or a paper towel to lightly rinse and dry your leaves.

Are you unsure if pre-washed lettuce needs to be washed? Even though there’s no definite solution, we recommend washing it as a precautionary measure. Despite the fact that lettuce has been pre-washed, it still may contain pathogens.

How to Store Lettuce

When moisture and airflow are insufficient, lettuce becomes sad and wilted. Lettuce leaves can be stored individually or as a whole head depending on how long you want to keep it fresh.

You may keep a whole head of lettuce in a plastic bag by wrapping the head in a damp paper towel. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Individual lettuce leaves can be stored in a lettuce keeper in the refrigerator after being washed and spun dry. In order to prevent bruising and the development of bacteria, a container is the ideal option. You may also store them in your crisper drawer stemless and wrapped in a moist paper towel if you use a plastic bag with an open corner. The paper towels should be replaced every few days if they become too wet, so don’t forget to add some.

In spite of your best efforts, your lettuce may still wilt. Lettuce may be crisped up by immersing it in ice water for a few minutes after cutting it up. After that, you can spin dry as usual. This is ideal for wilting lettuce.

Aside from this, ethylene-rich fruit and vegetable varieties should be kept separate from lettuce to avoid premature ageing due to the gas released during ripening. Keep an eye on your other produce by saving our storage produce guide.

How Long Does Lettuce Last?

When stored properly, loose leaf lettuce can survive up to ten days, whereas head lettuce can last up to two weeks. Head lettuce can be stored in the refrigerator for one to three weeks if not washed. To put it another way, lettuce reigns supreme when it comes to shelf life.

If you can’t remember how long you’ve had your lettuce, remember this: If it smells awful, looks gross, or feels slimy, toss it out.

Can you Freeze Lettuce?

Freezing lettuce is an option if you want to extend the life of your greens even further. Lettuce can, in fact, be frozen.

We recommend freezing romaine or butterhead lettuces, which are thicker. As a general rule of thumb, you should only use iced lettuce in smoothies and soups—not salads, which rely on fresh lettuce leaves for their flavour and crunch. Other leafy greens, such as spinach and kale, are also excellent candidates for freezing.

There are two ways to freeze lettuce. Frozen lettuce leaves are one method of storing. Using a paper towel, blot away any excess water after separating and rinsing the lettuce leaves. Then, seal the leaves in a freezer-safe container. You can also freeze lettuce in ice cube trays for liquid recipes like smoothies and soups by pureeing it and freezing it in ice cube trays. Frozen lettuce keeps for up to six months.

Tips To Keep Lettuce Fresh

1. All Lettuce Belongs in The Fridge

Ripening processes are slowed down by the cold of your refrigerator. There are less bacteria that could harm fresh vegetables in an enclosed setting. When you go home from the supermarket, put the lettuce in the fridge as soon as possible.

2. Crisper Drawers Are Best

Vegetables benefit from this convenient refrigerator drawer’s ability to keep their moisture levels just right. Adjustable humidity crisper drawers are standard equipment in the majority of new refrigerators. Lettuce should be kept at a distance from the other produce, so don’t crowd it. It’s important that leafy greens have room to grow.

3. Wash or Don’t Wash Romaine Lettuce

To save time, keep fresh romaine in a plastic bag that is only loosely closed. Separate the leaves from the heart if you’d like to wash it beforehand. Refrigerate romaine hearts in a plastic bag after they’ve been gently rinsed.

4. Don’t Wash Iceberg Lettuce

Don’t wash this sort of green lettuce before putting it in the fridge, whether it’s butterhead or baby iceberg. However, even though it has a high water content, exposure to outside moisture might cause the leaves to wilt. In a perforated plastic bag, you can store baby iceberg lettuce for up to a week.

5. Let Bagged Greens Breathe

Bagged lettuce, spinach, and chard salads are excellent examples of water-rich salads. If you tear the top off the product’s package and leave it open in the crisper drawer, these pre-mixed salad greens and bagged shredded lettuce will last longer.

6. Keep Produce Fresh by Puffing

The agricultural business uses a simple preservation technology that can be adapted to extend the shelf life of lettuce. Twist and secure the lettuce bag with a rubber band after blowing into it until it ballooned up. When you exhale carbon dioxide, the ripening process is slowed down by this gas.

7. Protect Tender Greens with Plastic

Mesclun mixes benefit from salad storage containers because they preserve the delicate endive, watercress, and arugula from wilting in the crisper drawer. In order to keep delicate greens from drying out and bruising, place them in a plastic container with paper towels nested in them.

8. Wrap up Shredded Lettuce

For how long will lettuce shreds keep in tacos and quesadillas that you make yourself the best? If you dry and wrap it up, it will last for two or three days. Roll up your freshly chopped or shredded lettuce in a clean kitchen towel and tie it with rubber bands for a DIY packaging.

9. Pack Lettuce in Paper Towels

Another simple method for preserving lettuce for a long period requires only a few paper towels. Clean, dry leaves should be spread out on paper towels. Fold and wrap it into a tube, then put it in a plastic bag. Store in the crisper drawer for a week to ten days by pressing out any air and sealing tightly.

10. Separate Fruits and Veggies

Keep lettuce and fruit in separate drawers to prevent cross-contamination. Leafy greens ripen too soon as a result of the ethylene gas released by most harvested fruits. Fresh lettuce should be kept away from papayas, peaches, and cantaloupes, and tomatoes should also be avoided. Fruits, not vegetables, are the proper term for these round, red beauties.