OXO Steel Salad Spinner

Product Information

A salad spinner is a kitchen tool used to wash and dry salad greens. The spinning motion removes excess water, making for crisp, fresh greens. There are a variety of salad spinners available on Kitchenware Australia & New Zealand, each with their own unique features. One reviewer wrote: “A good sturdy product. Pour fresh water into the hole, spin and drain out of the same hole, a real good worker. I make lots of different salads and prep works takes a lot time so this is a real time saving gem in the kitchen.”

We'll forever have a soft spot for how OXO designs products that are easy and comfortable to operate. The company's Good Grips salad spinner uses a similar design as its Steel spinner, but the bowl is clear plastic and can double as an attractive serving bowl. Large salad spinners are great for meal prepping, preparing large salads for a family or dinner party, or even using as a container to store washed greens in your refrigerator,” he says. “If you’re only occasionally washing greens or frequently washing greens for one or two people, a smaller salad spinner is a great option and is also much easier to store.” Kristy Mucci, author of Salad Party, also likes its versatility: "I like the strong grip of the non-slip base, and it's good for more than just salad spinning. I dress my salads in it, and I reach for it whenever I need an extra prep bowl or a lidded container for refrigerator storage. I also think it's nicer looking than any plastic salad spinner, plus it'll stay nicer looking longer because stainless steel doesn't get sad with age the way plastic does." A plethora of great features make this all-plastic salad spinner a winner. The lid has a hole and a strainer, so you can fill the whole thing with water, use the spinner to agitate the greens, then pour the water out through the hole, while the strainer keeps everything inside. This is especially helpful for very dirty or sandy greens, such as spinach, and it's the only spinner we tested that had this feature. When considering a spinner’s size, Sommerall says it’s important to factor in the amount of greens that will be washed on a regular basis in addition to how often the spinner will be used in general.

What we didn’t like about the Farberware Pump-Activated Salad Spinner

The SwiftDry Salad spinner uses the same plastic bowl and unusually shaped spin basket as its pull-cord model. But this version has a lid with a lever that pops up. Pushing the lever down will activate the spinning motion through a series of gears that you can actually see through the translucent green plastic housing if you look underneath the lid. This salad spinner is also dishwasher safe, making cleanup just as easy as the operation. It should be noted, however, that with its larger size, this spinner may be difficult to store in a smaller kitchen. Sometimes you only need a petite spinner that stores compactly but has the oomph of larger models. The Oxo Good Grips Little Salad and Herb Spinner is just right for small portions of lettuce, berries, and especially bunches of fresh herbswith its 2.5-quart basket. We found that it easily accommodated two heads of radicchio for one test, two bunches of cilantro for another, and one pint of blueberries for a third. One of our editors, Brandi Fuller, has tested this salad spinner in her own kitchen and highly recommends it. “I loved this salad spinner,” she says. “It made the texture of my salads so much more enjoyable, and it was incredibly easy (and honestly fun) to use. I recommend it to anyone who’s looking for an affordable and easy to use option.”

Standout features include the patented plunger, which is incredibly easy to operate—even one-handed. During testing, we lauded the minimal strength it took to depress the plunger while still feeling sturdy and comfortable in hand. It only took 10 pumps to completely clean and dry a large head of romaine lettuce, and no berries were bruised after five efficient plunges and fast-action braking. The wide, flat base has a rubber ring that we noted held the spinner completely secure on the counter while processing across all three tests. In addition to the capacity, the size of the perforations in the colander should also be considered. “The perforations should be small enough to trap leaves of any size while also large enough to maximize the transmission of moisture from the basket to the outer collection bowl,” he says. Additionally, having a clear container helps you to see the vegetables. “I also like them for storing greens in the fridge—if I can see the contents within, I find that it helps me cut down on food waste (‘out of sight, out of mind’),” Sommerall says.Along with overall construction, size, and quality, we tested the bowl's versatility with other tasks—such as mixing pancake batter. Since we love multi-function kitchen tools, we also noticed how the bowls worked as serving vessels (for example, if they retained food temperature).

For each test, we noted how operating the pump or knob felt and how much strength was required to start and continue spinning. After recording the responsiveness of each spinner and the level of stability the base provided, we saw how many pumps or spins it took to completely clean and dry the produce, noting any difficulty in stopping the spinner once it got going. When preparing salads for a larger crowd, like if you are hosting a summer garden party, having a larger salad spinner is ideal. The Norpro Deluxe Salad Spinner, gives chefs plenty of room to prep larger salads and vegetables. Pump-Operated Spinners: To activate the spinning function on pump-operated spinners, you simply push down on a button or lever. The more you pump, the faster it spins. These are relatively easy to use and don't require quite as much effort as a manual/crank spinner. Handle-style spinners: Easier on the hand than the knob variety, a handle-style salad spinner is also difficult to store because of the awkward shape. The extended handle is attached to the gears, and as you manually spin the handle, the basket spins.

What else can salad spinners be used for besides drying lettuce leaves?

If you need something that won't break but can handle washing and drying smaller batches of lettuce, this 3-quart Progressive Collapsible Salad Spinner with a silicone construction and collapsible design is a wonderful option. It's ideal for traveling and use in smaller kitchens or dorm rooms. In testing, we found it actually reduces to just 3 inches when fully collapsed, so storage could not be more convenient.