The Only Store-Bought Greens You Can Safely Eat Directly From The Bag

Fresh greens are a delight, whether you're serving them raw in a salad, grilling them like romaine hearts, or sautéing them with garlic and olive oil for a tasty side dish. However, some greens, like iceberg lettuce or arugula, are at their very best raw. Sometimes, after buying a bag of greens from your local grocery, it's tempting to grab a handful straight from the bag and start chomping. But is it safe? Well, it can be, but only if you've checked the bag carefully for one of the key phrases that let you know it's okay. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), if the greens are described as "triple-washed," "pre-washed," or "ready to eat," there's no need to wash them, and you can enjoy them directly from the bag.

What do these phrases actually mean though? While "ready to eat" and "pre-washed" are fairly self-explanatory, "triple-washed" is actually the most descriptive of the terms. Triple washing is a sequence of rinses the greens go through to remove all traces of soil and grit. While the first wash is plain water, the second includes a sanitizer to eliminate bacteria, and the third includes the same sanitizer, but at a lower concentration level.

While you know you don't have to wash your triple-washed greens (In fact you shouldn't, as re-washing them risks cross-contamination.), you might be wondering what to serve them with. Well, salads are a classic way to enjoy store-bought raw greens, but it's important to make sure all parts of the dish are safe to eat. While triple-washed salad greens are good to go, other vegetables, like tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots, should be rinsed before adding to the salad. On the other hand, cured or pickled elements, like olives, do not need rinsing.

The salad dressing is another area of caution, though. If you're using a high-quality store-bought dressing, keep it refrigerated according to the instructions on the bottle. If you're making your own, be aware that any dressing including eggs, dairy, or meat should be kept refrigerated until the last possible moment. This will include things like a homemade aioli or Greek yogurt-based ranch, as well as fish sauce Caesar dressing. In the same vein, do not let salads containing meat or dairy elements sit out of the fridge for more than two hours, as this can risk the salad ingredients spoiling before you get the chance to eat them.