Who doesn’t love a salad spinner? It’s tough to imagine what the home cook did before they existed -- individually washing and drying each piece of lettuce or other veggie seems pretty tiresome. Here’s how to make your life a little easier.

You can either wash all your lettuce at once, or simple wash what you’ll need for a salad. For the latter, chop your lettuce and other veggies into the size you want for the salad.

A spinner consists of three parts: the sieve-like strainer, the spinner that it fits into and that top with a crank for spinning.

Start by taking the strainer out of the spinner container, and putting all your lettuce and any other veggies or toppings that need to be washed in it. Make sure not to fill it too high. Run water over the strainer until everything inside is washed thoroughly. Shake off the excess moisture, then put the strainer back into the spinner. Put the lid on tight, and use the crank to spin the sieve for about 10 to 30 seconds.

Put your salad in a bowl, add anything that doesn’t need to be washed (cheese, croutons, etc.) and you’re ready to go!

You can also use the salad spinner to store your washed lettuce for up to 36 hours. Make sure to empty out any water first and put the top on tightly.

-- The Nest Editors