Iceberg lettuce is one of the most popular types of lettuce because of its crisp leaves and mild but fresh taste. The continued cultivation of lettuce is visually reminiscent of cabbage. Even if you occasionally read that the firm heads of lettuce do not need to be washed, we would still recommend this step, as this is the only way to reliably remove sprays and any insects that may have crawled into the iceberg lettuce.
How do you wash iceberg lettuce properly?
To wash iceberg lettuce properly, first remove the stalk, loosen the leaves and place them in cold water in the sink. Gently move the salad, drain it, spin it dry in a salad spinner and blot it with a kitchen towel if necessary.
Step 1: Remove stem
The stem of the compact head can be cut out with a knife. However, it is easier if you hit the iceberg lettuce firmly on the kitchen worktop with the stalk facing down. The inedible, hard part breaks out and can then be completely removed.
Step 2: Wash the lettuce
In addition to a large sieve and a salad spinner, you will need a clean, dry kitchen towel.
- Since the stem has already been separated, you can pull the leaves off the head individually.
- The outer and wilted lettuce leaves are discarded.
- Remove the leaves from each other and place them in the sink previously filled with cold water.
- Move the lettuce well so that each leaf is wetted and cleaned thoroughly.
- Do not put any pressure on the salad.
- Remove from the sink and drain in a colander.
- Repeat the process if necessary.
- Put the lettuce in the salad spinner and spin well to remove the water clinging to the leaves.
- If the lettuce is still too wet, you can dab individual leaves with the cloth.
Step 3: Cut iceberg lettuce
If you don't want to use the leaves whole, they must now be cut up. There are two different ways to do this:
- You can halve the lettuce head before washing and then cut it into fine strips. In this case it is washed after cutting.
- It is better to tear the already cleaned lettuce leaves into bite-sized pieces. With this variant, more plant juices are retained because the leaves automatically divide along the leaf veins.
How to store iceberg lettuce correctly?
To prevent the salad from rotting, take it out of the plastic packaging and wrap it in a moistened tea towel instead. Then place the head in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. It should not be squeezed as this can cause brown spots.
Tip
Because the leaves of iceberg lettuce are so crunchy, they stay fresh longer than many other types of lettuce. This makes this salad perfect as an ingredient for sandwiches. Put on bread in the morning, iceberg lettuce still tastes delicious in the office, even after many hours.
