A salad spinner is a plastic bowl with a removable plastic strainer and special top, that when closed and activated, spins the strainer inside the bowl. When the strainer is filled with freshly washed salad, the spinning motion pulls excess water from the salad, flinging it through the walls of the strainer to the sides of the bowl where it collects in the bottom, free of the salad.

One of the biggest inconveniences of preparing salad is washing and attempting to "pat dry" it with paper towels. If too much water is left it makes the salad heavy. Salad spinners take the hassle out of preparing salad by delivering a simple way to quickly get a perfectly washed salad.

Using a salad spinner is simple. Once you've prepared the salad just follow these steps:

• Remove the strainer from the spinner.
• Place the salad inside the strainer.
• Hold the strainer under the faucet to thoroughly rinse the salad.
• Place the strainer back in the spinner bowl and secure the lid.
• Activate the spinning motion.

After several seconds, stop the spinner, and remove the top. Your salad will be free of excess water and ready for a plate! Now add croutons, cheese or any other toppings.

You can use a salad spinner to store freshly washed salad as well. Just empty any water from the bowl, replace the strainer and secure the lid. Place the salad spinner in the refrigerator so it's ready when you are!

Salad spinners come in a variety of sizes and designs, though all of them work on the same principle. Some spinners have knob-lids for manual spinning. Others operate on pump action by a cylinder that pops up from the lid. Using your palm, you press down on the cylinder or pump to generate the spinning motion. Most pump action salad spinners also have a brake in the form of a button in the lid. When you want the spinning to stop, you simply press the button. Still other salad spinners use pullcords to generate the motion.

Salad spinners are generally dishwasher safe but read any instructions or directions that might come with your particular model. If you like salads but don't like preparing them, you're sure to appreciate the convenience of owning a salad spinner!