How to Keep Lettuce Crisp for a Week

Step by step

1. 1

   Start with crisp lettuce

   At the store, pick heads that look bright and feel crisp, not limp or wilted. That is what the USDA-funded Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) lettuce sheet tells school kitchens to look for.

2. 2

   Pull off damaged outer leaves

   At home, strip off any torn, bruised or slimy outer leaves and throw them away. The ICN sheet says to remove the parts you cannot use, and the FDA says to cut away damaged or bruised spots.

   What it looks like: keep peeling until no torn, bruised or slimy leaves are left on the head.

3. 3

   Decide: wash now, or wash later

   The simplest way is to store it unwashed and wash it right before you eat it. The ICN sheet says to wash lettuce just before serving, under cold running water.

   If you would rather have salad ready to go, that works too, as long as you dry it very well. America’s Test Kitchen washes greens and then dries them thoroughly in a salad spinner before storing them.

   To wash, separate the leaves and rinse them under cold running water. The ICN sheet says not to let them sit soaking, and the FDA says not to use soap, detergent or produce wash.

4. 4

   Get it completely dry

   If you washed it, spin the leaves in a salad spinner, or pat them dry with a clean cloth towel or paper towels. The FDA and the University of Maine Extension both say to dry produce this way.

   What it looks like: keep going until no drops are left in the folds or at the base of the ribs.

5. 5

   Wrap it loosely and leave the bag a little open

   Roll the leaves, or wrap the whole head, loosely in paper towels. Slip it into a gallon plastic bag and leave the zipper slightly open. America’s Test Kitchen stores greens this way, or right in the salad spinner between layers of paper towels.

   The ICN sheet says lettuce stores best in very damp air with some air moving. The towel and the bag keep moisture around the leaves, and the small opening lets the bag breathe.

1. 6

   Put it in the high humidity drawer

   Set your crisper drawer to high humidity and put the lettuce there. Maytag says the high setting closes the vents so moisture stays in the drawer, and that it suits leafy greens.

   Sliders are not all labeled the same way, and Maytag says models vary. Check your fridge manual for which way is high on yours.

2. 7

   Keep apples and pears in another drawer

   Give your fruit its own drawer. Penn State says apples and pears give off a lot of ethylene, a gas that ripens fruit, and that ethylene causes rust-colored spots on lettuce. The ICN sheet says lettuce is extremely sensitive to it.

3. 8

   Keep the fridge cold, but do not freeze it

   Keep your fridge at 40°F or below, as the FDA says for produce. The ICN sheet says not to freeze lettuce, and the industry storage manual puts its freezing point just under 32°F.

How to bring back limp lettuce

Lettuce that has gone soft but not slimy can come back. America’s Test Kitchen says lettuce wilts because it loses water, and that 30 minutes in ice water puts that water back.

1. Rinse the leaves under cold running water first.
2. Fill a clean bowl with ice and cold water, and put the leaves in.
3. Leave them for 30 minutes.
4. Spin or pat them completely dry before you eat them or store them again.

You can skip the vinegar. The same test kitchen found it made no difference.

When it will not work, and what to do instead

Not every head can be saved. Here is how to tell.

• It is slimy, smells off or has mold on it. Throw it out. The ICN sheet says not to use leafy greens with visible signs of decay, and to toss the whole head if you need to. An ice bath only helps limp leaves, never slimy ones.
• You bought a bag that says pre-washed. Do not wash it again. The FDA and the ICN sheet both say lettuce labeled pre-washed or ready to eat can be used as is. America’s Test Kitchen keeps those greens in their original bag or box.
• You heard lettuce lasts a month. It makes sense to hope so, and some tips online promise it. But even in commercial cold storage at 32°F to 34°F, the industry storage manual gives iceberg 2 to 3 weeks and other lettuce 10 days. A home fridge runs warmer, so plan on about a week.
• Rusty little spots showed up on the ribs. Ethylene is a common cause. Move the apples and pears to another drawer next time.

Why it works

Lettuce is almost all water. The industry storage manual lists it at about 96 percent water, so a head of romaine is basically a bundle of tiny water balloons.

When those leaves lose water, they go limp. That is why the goal is damp air around the leaves, a cold drawer, and no extra water sitting on them. The paper towel catches stray drops, the half-open bag holds in moisture, and the high humidity drawer keeps the air from drying everything out.

Apples and pears are the other half of the story. They give off ethylene, a ripening gas, and lettuce is so sensitive to it that it can get rusty spots.