For some, the beginning of spring brings excitement for the warmer weather. Others (like me) are jazzed for berry season. Farm-fresh blueberries and strawberries are so candy-like, flavorful and poppable. I want to eat the fruit daily, though they hardly stick around long enough. In the past, I’ve found that they’re a bit finicky, so I’m changing my method this season.
People have told me for years that salad spinners are the best way to wash berries while keeping them fresh, since they remove the excess moisture that causes early spoiling. As it turns out, they’re right. I tried this method for the first time last year in our favorite OXO salad spinner, and it easily cleans delicate items like blueberries, strawberries and blackberries.
OXO Salad Spinner
Amazon
I have used this tool to prep salads for years, and at the tail end of last summer, I used it to wash my berries. The salad spinner lends itself perfectly to the vinegar-soaking method, which helps kill excess fungus and bacteria. The colander insert is nice and big, sitting flush inside the 6.2-quart bowl. Fill it with however many berries you have—I find it particularly helpful for prepping strawberries and blueberries for spring and summer pies. I like to do 1 cup of vinegar to 4 cups of water to ensure enough breathing room, but any 1:4 ratio works.
Once the berries have sat in the vinegar mixture long enough to ward off any potential mold, drain the mixture and rinse it in the colander. Then, pop it back into the bowl and use the pump at the top to spin the colander. My favorite thing about the spinner is that it dries ingredients much more efficiently than towels because it almost whips the water off. The pump is easy to maneuver, and it spins fast but gently, so you won’t bruise or puncture them, which is key to longevity; exposed damage can make them spoil faster.
You don’t have to go through the whole vinegar-soaking process—heaps of shoppers use this spinner to rinse and dry their berries with water alone, and they swear by it. “This has been one of my favorite purchases of the year. It is great obviously for salads but also for drying off berries,” said one reviewer. “It’s a great way of preserving food since moisture will usually lead to mold or rotting, so if you’ve noticed your berries going bad a lot, this will change your life!” a second person wrote.
Despite its 10.5 x 10.5 x 6-inch size, this salad spinner is easy to store thanks to the locking mechanism that keeps the pump flat. You can use it for a variety of ingredients; shoppers call it “an everything spinner.” Cleaning is a breeze, too. It’s dishwasher-safe and washes up seamlessly by hand.
With a whopping 32,200 five-star ratings and our tried-and-tested seal of approval, this OXO salad spinner is the hero of berry season. The effective yet gentle spin ensures these sweet gems are clean, dry and ready for the week ahead—if they stick around that long.
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At the time of publishing, the price was $30.
