Commercial Salad Spinners
Salad spinners and lettuce dryers vary mainly by size, ranging from two to five gallons in capacity. The smallest container spinners can handle a few handfuls of loose vegetable greens while the larger spinners can accommodate up to eight heads of lettuce. Most lettuce spinners are operated by hand with a crank, but labor-saving electric versions are available.
Common Questions About Commercial Salad Spinners
What is a salad spinner and what is it used for?
Commercial salad spinners and lettuce dryers range from hand-cranked countertop options to massive automated systems perfect for high-volume operations. Regardless of their design, these units are intended to help operators protect customers from foodborne illnesses that are most often spread by unwashed produce without serving soggy salads. In some cases, water can be run over lettuce and other vegetables while they are in the unit, while others are meant to spin excess water off food washed in another vessel. Ensuring salads are dry before they are served provides customers better-tasting meals and helps cut down on dressing use, which can help operators maximize profit.
Are salad spinners and lettuce dryers safe for dishwashers?
None of these units can safely be cleaned in a warewasher in whole, though some have dishwasher-safe components. For instance, the interior buckets that hold greens and vegetables typically are dishwasher safe, but other components should either be put through a sanitizing dish sink system or cleaned by hand. Since salad dryers are meant to help prevent the spread of foodborne illnesses, it is critical that they regularly be cleaned and sanitized.
Are commercial salad spinners easy to clean and maintain?
Generally speaking, these units are easy to own, and many have very few moving parts. Cleaning will involve some hand washing and will likely require a brush to get into the openings inside the units that allow water to run off the food. For manual spinners, moving components are likely to wear out with heavy use, but those pieces are typically readily available, and many are designed with replacement in mind. Larger automated units are built to stand up to the significant demands of busy operations. If issues with those arise, it may be necessary to call a professional to diagnose and correct the problem.
Shop KaTom's collection of the best salad spinners to find the right pieces for your operation.