You Can Still Use Wilted Greens In Your Salad If You Take This Leaf-Saving Step

Throwing away ingredients that have passed their prime is always upsetting. It's not just that you spent your hard-earned dough on them, but the dish you envisioned using them for becomes impractical. One ingredient that is particularly prone to decay is leafy greens. A SodaStream machine can keep greens fresher and prevent wilting in the first place, but once they start to wither, most folks assume their salad dreams are a thing of the past. Yet, according to Jason Stern, the executive chef at Boone's in Atlanta, that isn't necessarily the case.

You don't need lettuce to make a salad, but if you prefer your dish flush with leafy greens, Stern said all you need is water. "Cold water will revive the 'crisp' nature of slightly wilted lettuces." Still, before rushing off to save your lettuce by running it under cold faucet water, Stern indicated that might not do the trick. "Truly, it should be an ice water bath," he said. "It should be the coldest temp you can attain. Let it soak in the mix for five minutes." After it's done soaking, you don't need a salad spinner to dry the lettuce. Just drain the water, give the lettuce a shake, and use a kitchen towel to pat it dry.

However, be aware that this hack may not work every time, depending on the type of greens that need some attention. "This hack works best on the tougher greens, such as romaine and kale," Stern says. "If you attempt this with a more delicate leaf, like arugula, I am not sure it will help."

The cells in leafy greens hold an abundance of water, but once they've been plucked from the ground, that moisture begins to dissipate. As the cells dehydrate, the veg starts to wither. Soaking it in an ice bath allows the cells to sponge up that cold water, restoring the plant's firm constitution.

Jason Stern's ice bath approach can breathe new life into limp lettuce, but there is a way to deter wilting. "Lettuces and greens, as a whole, react to open and moving air," he said. With oxygen being one of the primary enemies of vibrant greens because it dries them out, you'll want to prevent air from reaching them by keeping them in a wrapped container, Stern said.

Of course, if you have an abundance of lettuce on hand, you may not have a vessel big enough to house it all. "If you don't have a large container to wrap and seal, you can use a damp paper towel," Stern said. "When the paper towel dries out, it's time to replace it. As long as the towel is damp, the lettuce will stay hydrated."

Still, even the best safeguards will only be effective for so long. If you start to notice your salad greens taking on a specific hue, it might be time for the ice bath fix. "Watch for yellowing, which will be the first indicator that the greens are starting to go off," Stern said. Let them go unattended for much longer, and you may reach the point of no return. "If the lettuces start to leak liquid, it's time to hit the waste bin."