Lettuce is enjoyed in sandwiches and salads.
For convenience, keep several varieties of lettuce in your refrigerator for use in healthy recipes. The most common lettuce is iceberg, but other types include romaine, endive and leaf lettuce. Cold, crispy lettuce adds texture to a salad or sandwich but care must be taken to keep the lettuce as fresh as possible for optimum taste and texture. Without proper handling, it deteriorates quickly, turning brown and producing a dark, slimy liquid. Lettuce cannot be frozen or canned like other vegetables, but if you take the time to clean and store your lettuce properly, you will add days to its .
Instructions
1. Pick the highest quality lettuce available from a vendor whose produce you trust to be very fresh. You want the least amount of time between the field and the produce shelf. Fresh lettuce adds a couple of days to the shelf life.
2. Plunge your lettuce into a container of cool water and rinse. Drain the water and refill, letting the lettuce soak up the moisture. Re-hydrating the lettuce after it's been sitting on the produce shelf also prolongs its useful life.
3. Shake off any excess water, and then spin the lettuce in a salad spinner. Centrifugal force removes the last of the excess water. Alternatively, a dish towel with the lettuce enfolded in it can accomplish the same thing by swinging the towel in a large circle. Too much water will contribute to the lettuce going slimy more rapidly.
4. Cut your lettuce with a plastic knife or tear it with your hands. If you use metal knives, the lettuce will turn brown and deteriorate quickly along the cut edges and will not be fit to eat.
5. Wrap the cleaned lettuce in damp paper towels and put it in the vegetable keeper in your refrigerator. The lettuce may also be placed in large plastic zip bags.
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