I’m not much help since I’ve had both my Oxo salad spinner and the smaller herb spinner for a long time. No complaints. To be fair, I don’t use them that often these days for just the two of us. Sometimes a kitchen towel or paper towels are easy.

LOL! pillowcases. ::snicker::

I've never had gunk. But things dry well here, and I always let mine get hard dry with all parts separate before putting away. I can't say about anything really new. My favorite has always been the flat top Italian one with the contrasting circle on top with the flatish knob near the edge of the circle. It was still being made, only the colors changing, as of a few years ago, but I don't find it on a quick search of Amazon. Second favorite, which I got for my mother, years ago, because she didn't like the cranking action of her old one, is the push lever OXO one where the bowl is plain and could be used for serving, and the lever locks down flat. What you've had, right?

What I like about both is that with a few flicks you can wind them up to go very fast, getting out more water, and slowing down by gravity as they rattle away on their own. The serving bowl is a nice touch for the young ones. There are also ones that have graters built into the tops and other gimcrackery, but that seems useful for the young as well, who live in very compact quarters and move frequently. I highly dislike pull strings, but I don't even know if they're still made.

Good luck with your choice!

I've had my OXO for more than 20 years. I use it every week. If you find something better let us know.

I haven't been happy with my OXO. A friend me to just rinse and put paper towels to absorb the water. Throyghoutbthe day I change the paper and flip the container.

Of course you have to do this in advance.

I got this Italian one from Walmart a few years ago and like it a lot:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozeri-Italian-Made-Fresca-Salad-Spinner-and-Serving-Bowl-BPA-Free/604859457

It's rather like the old Copco ones, which is what I had before.

plllog - The gunk is only visible when the mechansim breaks apart. It’s not actually touching the salad so it’s probably more of a psychological worry than hygienic.

food, just posting this FWIW.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwBwALtIK6M

Thanks all! Esp with ATK’s endorsement I think I’ll stick with what I know and go with OXO again. I’ll just wipe the top rather than rinse it.

I also have an OXO. I mainly use it when I have my home-grown lettuces as I do a double rinse with those and it is time consuming if I can’t use the spinner. Then I lay them out on kitchen towels and blot with another one or paper towels before storing wrapped in paper towels.

It is ok but small when I have a lot to do. I gave away a larger one years ago that took up too much cabinet space, but sometimes I wish I still had it.

Consumer Reports’ latest print issue had a short blurb on Salad Spinners. They recommend the Pro Salad Spinner, available from Wal-Mart. Salad Spinner

But, the CR blurb failed to say what other salad spinners they tested. Online they say they tested 9 models, but only list 3. You have to subscribe to read the full article. We've been subscribers to the magazine for decades. It sucks that that doesn't allow free access to their website.

https://www.consumerreports.org/appliances/best-salad-spinners-a4162407348/

Another site with reviews.

https://www.seriouseats.com/equipment-the-best-salad-spinner

Mine broke recently and because I hate how much room it takes to store, I bought this collapsible one. I like it a lot. I always put my spinners through the dishwasher https://www.amazon.com/Prepworks-Progressive-Collapsible-Salad-Spinner/dp/B0050EF6RS/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=2N4DE0S849S5N&keywords=collapsible+salad&qid=1704754660&sprefix=collapsible+salad%2Caps%2C273&sr=8-3

I’ll just wipe the top rather than rinse it.

It never occurred to me to wash the lid. Yeah, wiping it off with a cloth is all you need to do.

Mine is a very simple one with a basket in a bowl and a knob to turn the top round. I just put all three parts in the dish washer to kill any bugs. Also I find if I only rinse it the plastic stains green from lettuce and I don't think it is hygienic.

I've had this one for twenty years but it's a small one. The knobs work well. I bought it as Marshall's and probably didn't pay more than $10 for it. Try them or Home Goods. They always have salad spinners.

https://www.amazon.com/Prepworks-Progressive-Salad-Spinner-Handle/dp/B001GAQKMU/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=1U0EGE88RZYZU&keywords=progressive%2Bsalad%2Bspinner&qid=1704756300&sprefix=progressive%2B%2Bsalad%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

Here's a larger one by Cuisinart. For the price and being a good brand, I'd give it a whirl. Haha!

https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CTG-00-SSAS-Salad-Spinner-Green/dp/B01FCJHWIG/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=progressive%2Bsalad%2Bspinner&qid=1704756553&sr=8-7&th=1

My last one was that cuisinart and what broke were the clips attaching the lid to the bowl. Always found them fiddly and awkward to latch.

My favorite is the Mueller salad spinner, made in Austria, but it might be difficult to find. It looks like Walmart might have it. It has received top reviews, and I like it much better than Oxo.

I also have a very old Copco spinner that will just never die, and I moved that one to Cathedral City. I won't get rid of it, since it still works well.

We use an Oxo. Our favorite of unknown brand (it had long since rubbed off) that served us for a few decades broke. We bought it when living in Europe. It was not fancy but it had a spooled pull cord with a ring on the end that worked like a pull-start gas engine. It got going REALLY fast and worked well. Alas, the cord finally broke and that was it. The OXO is adequate but even with concerted pressing, it still doesn't do as much as it could because of a lack of speed.

A salad spinner is useless if it doesn't get going fast enough. Many of the ones mentioned I've used here and there and some don't spin fast enough

I have two Ikea salad spinners, one at home and one in my DH’s work week flat. (”I got you this so you can spin your lettuce dry after you wash it, dear.” ”Do you wash lettuce?” 😳)

They are as cheap as chips, do the job and are a doddle to wash. You can also use the bowl part as a salad bowl. The mechanism is a knob on top that cranks the spinner around. It can get quite speedy, especially if you empty out the accumulated water in the bottom if it slows down.

I only wish I had a favorite salad spinner. None I've tried have really dried lettuce to my liking and I'm sure I've had Oxo - I may have one now. My all time favorite that really dried greens is an Oxo but its an herb spinner. It's almost but not quite big enough to spin salads for two that I try to make most nights....😊

I use a dishtowel but I like this concept

https://saladsling.com/products/salad-sling

I like that salad sling thing. I HATE spinners - don't know why. I won't have one in the house. I'd rather use a tea towel and spin it round and round like the sling ....

I only have a salad spinner because I inherited one. It's my favourite insofar as it is the only one I've ever had. Until then I used a clean tea towel. But the spinner provides a neater container for the leaves until they go into the salad bowl. I don't use the spinner bowl as a serving bowl because it's plastic. 😉

When I visited my parents, I would use a pillow case as a salad sling and take it outside to sling the water out, or else have someone else do this for me.

I have a kitchen towel designated only for lettuce. I had a salad spinner years ago that I hated, just something more to have to wash after use. I love that little salad sling thingy idea.

Elmer, I think they still make one with a pull string. I remember someone posting one a while back.

The Mueller spinner has a handle that you pull to make it spin, and it will spin very fast.

6:32am, Amazon dropped off my new spinner. In time for preparing daughter’s lunch!

First thing I looked for and was happy to see, the new design has far less room for moisture and nasties to get into the mechanism from below:

Next observations, in case anyone cares:

Overall, the new one feels a lot more solid than the old model. This can primarily be felt in the bowl:

The new one is much easier to get up to speed. I’d have to push hard and use body weight to get the old one to wind out, not so with the new one. What I cannot test is how the speeds of the two compare. Nor the drying ability, unless I manage to piece the old one back together.

Speaking of testing, I have some questions about SE’s test which Judi linked above. First off, how did they determine how many seconds it took for the greens to ”appear dry”, unless they stopped, looked, and restarted until they decided it ”appeared” dry. That would open up a lot of room for error. And how objective is ”appear”, anyway? I think the answer to that lies in the resulting remaining water percentages:

I mean, look at the results between the three OXO’s which likely have near identical mechanisms. they’re claiming plastic retained 81% more water than the glass, but they gave the glass 36% more spin time! Come on now. To me this test would have been FAR more effective had they brought each spinner to a reasonable top speed for a set period of time, and measured the results.

I expected some hate for salad spinners and I get it, especially if you have storage space constraints. But unless you’re just drying a few leaves for a single serving (and even then, IMO) they really do a much quicker and more thorough job than towel drying. Not to mention using it for broccoli!

You all have almost convinced me to get a salad spinner. lol. I use a kitchen towel now to dry all my veggies. I just don't want to have more plastic.

Then get the glass or stainless one! 🙂

Despite my skepticism of the SE results I’ll admit to a bit of buyer's remorse when I realized it was available in glass. But then, mine kind of gets haphazardly thrown in the cabinet above the freezer, sharing space with other awkward items like my largest frying pans, roasting pan and stock pots. Perhaps not the safest place for a heavy glass bowl!

The collapsible one pictured upthread has my interest, since we don't use a salad spinner that often and are always trying to find space for it.

Have a salad spinner but almost never use it...I use a dish towel, the square gauzey sort that grandma used to enbroider with days of the week and toss in the hot white wash when it's done.. I take it outside and whirl around....shake and whirl again...easier, cleaner and gets the lettuce dryer than any spinner i have seen.

I've had the oxo for years. Still going strong but don't use it much anymore. 3-4 times a year. I use a big mesh bag meant for laundry delicates sometimes. Swing outside.

My mini spinner i use 24/7. Always full of microgreens and fresh herbs and lives in the fridge to keep them fresh. If i need it for berries or larger lettuce leaves i empty the micros into a bowl or into a bag with a paper towel. Goes into the dishwasher once a week or two and being so small does not take up much space. Micros, herbs and larger lettuce leaves keep very fresh using the insert colander with a dry p-towel in the bottom under the strainer.

I don't see my model but similar to this.

In a previous house, the laundry room was 5-6 steps away from the kitchen sink. I actually did use a pillowcase for salad greens and spin cycle on the (top loader) washing machine.

After moving & having the laundry in the basement, I picked up a vintage Copco spinner from a garage sale. Only downside is that it's a space hog.

Don't the glass and stainless steel ones use plastic lids?

Probably. I assumed you were trying to avoid food contact with plastic. If you’re trying to avoid plastic in general then this might not be for you. Along with most everything else, unfortunately.

While I’d like to see less plastic in the world, I’m a lot more concerned about disposables that are so hard to avoid, than stuff that’s expected to last for decades. But I appreciate that people have different views on such things!

If I ever choose a salad spinner based on saving seconds of spin time, I'm going to have to reevaluate my life.

food, enjoy the new spinner!

My two look just like these, and I’m guessing at least 20+ years old. Got them both at a Kohl’s grand opening here that seems eons ago. $15 for the pair!

LOL! Agreed, though I hadn’t thought about it exactly that way until you said it!

That said, everyone can be confident in their views, and mine is that a salad spinner is a lot faster, easier and effectivr than hand drying greens. Yes I'll do it by hand for a leaf or two on a sandwich, but anything more the spinner is good. No, I haven't whirled bundles of green around my head outdoors, so I honestly can't speak to that.

Perhaps it's the generation and location I grew up in, with tales of Leona Helmsley echoing in my brain, but I want my lettuce dry dry dry!

I grow lettuce and other greens and often make large green salads, so our spinner gets a lot of use. I'll use a towel if I'm just drying a handful or so for a sandwich.

I was given a couple of drying pads. I like them for whole leaves (lettuce or cabbage) and whole vegetables, when I don't need them right away. Like tea towels, but more absorbent. And air drying is even better. But for cut, and for just washed, nothing better than the spinner. Vast amount of water forced out.

FOAS, congrats! Great news on the design improvements.

@John Liu The collapsible one is great. That chart of effectiveness didn't rate it that well, but that's not been my experience. It spins very fast and the greens are dry. I've not had it long, but stored chopped romaine in it for several days and it was nice and dry and fresh. Collapses to 2.5" or 3" or so.