When was the last time you fell in love with a salad spinner? Or maybe the real question is this: When was the last time you washed your lettuce? (Actually, keep that one to yourself!) If you can’t remember, allow us to introduce you to the Oxo Good Grips Large Salad Spinner. Not only has this No. 1 bestseller wowed Amazon shoppers (over 10,000 have been purchased in the past month), it’s also a favorite of Ina Garten herself and has some fun little features that set it apart from the rest. It’s a reasonable $30, so you’d be wise to grab it in time for holiday meal prep.
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“Soggy salad is my favorite food,” said no one ever. Spare yourself from slimy Caesars by way of this popular pick, which will thoroughly dry those greens to keep things nice and crisp.
$30 at Amazon
The Oxo Good Grips Large Salad Spinner is featured on the equipment page of the Barefoot Contessa website, which is where Ina shares the products she recommends. And given this gadget’s thoughtful design, it’s easy to see why it made the cut.
For starters, it doesn’t require any cranking — score! Instead, you just push a button to get it going, and because it has a nonskid base, you can press with one hand without worrying about it flying off the counter. But what really makes it stand out? The brake feature.
Yes, this spinner has a handy button that’ll make it stop in its tracks when you’re ready to remove your greens — no more waiting for it to complete a cycle. It’s the small pleasures in life, after all! In addition to that, it has a removable basket that doubles as a colander, and the clear bowl can be used for serving. Oh, and the spin button locks down flat against the lid when not in use, which makes storage a breeze. Is there anything they didn’t think of?
This particular model has racked up an unbe-leaf-able 27,000-plus perfect ratings from Amazon customers.
“I bought this to wash my produce and it works great!” exclaimed one happy user. “I put my blueberries and strawberries in it with water and vinegar and spin them around a bit, and it works so well! The water left in the bowl is always filthy afterward; it’s probably the cleanest our produce has ever been! It was easy to put together and the size is good; I can fit 2 pounds of strawberries in [it] at a time. It’s held up well so far. The plastic is solid and not flimsy.”
“Perfect for arthritic hands,” raved another. “It was getting hard to use my old spinner … I had to manually turn the crank. Made my arthritis much worse — but this one is perfect. Easy to use, no strength required, no pain.”
“Oxo never disappoints,” declared a brand loyalist. “This is my second one, and I had the first one for many years. It fits in the refrigerator well, since the pump can be locked down. I usually store my lettuce in it and it lasts for a long time.”
While many people had nothing but praise for the Oxo, a few reviewers shared some notes.
“I like the brake option it has to stop the spinning,” said a generally satisfied shopper. “I use it for lettuce and other veggies, as well as fruit. It removed a lot more water from food than my other spinner too. The only annoyance I have is you have to make sure food is moved away from the middle of the basket so the ‘pusher’ that creates the spin has a place to go when you put the lid on. Otherwise, it is a great addition to my kitchen!”
A final fan, who called it “the best salad spinner,” wrote, “It spins at lightning speed and is a cinch to clean and dry. The speed brake is perfect. The only flaw is that the top can’t lock onto the bowl for storage, so if you’re carrying it, don’t let it slant or the top might slide off. But other than that, it’s excellent.”
Amazon
Hope you like fruits and veggies, because this unassuming kitchen essential can hold up to 6.2 quarts of produce.
$30 at Amazon
Another Ina fave? This genius device:
Amazon
Sometimes, the worst part of cooking has nothing to do with preparing food and everything to do with wrapping up the leftovers. This nifty invention changes all of that. On the Barefoot Contessa website, Ina says, “I have used a Stretch-Tite 7500 plastic wrap dispenser for years and absolutely love it.” And in a video about her favorite kitchen items for the New York Times, she adds, “Instead of fighting with that box, all you do is just pull [the plastic wrap] out … just cut it off, and you have a really simple piece of plastic wrap. I use it all the time. Just great.”
What makes it such an improvement over the plastic wrap box? For starters, it couldn’t be easier to use. Just place your roll into the dispenser (it’s compatible with Stretch-Tite 250, 500 and 750 rolls, though reviewers say it works with other brands as well), then do as Ina says: Pull some of the plastic out, then press down on the lever to cut a piece as large as you need. It’ll slice the plastic in one go, creating a neat, straight edge rather than the jagged, twisted mess that results when it gets stuck on those little teeth on the box.
$40 at Amazon
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The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
