The Reason You Should Soak Your Crunchy Veggies For Salad Prep

A green salad packed with mixed veggies and a balanced dressing can be sublime if everything is fresh and crunchy. There are a lot of salads that don't live up to the hype, however, and almost always, the reason is soggy, wilted components. A salad is only as good as the sum of its parts, so you need to make sure everything that goes in the bowl is as crisp as it can be. To make sure every bite is super crunchy, soak your salad vegetables — especially the crunchy ones — in ice water.

If your radishes are looking a little tired, but are otherwise in good shape, a plunge in cold water will perk them up from the inside, and your salad will look and taste as fresh as if you'd picked it out of the garden. Ice water can also keep your veggies fresher longer in the fridge and save you money on salad supplies — because you'll throw fewer expensive, perishable vegetables in the trash.

It doesn't take long for a shopping basket full of fresh lettuce and plump peppers to start looking a little tired at home. This is because vegetables start to lose moisture once they're picked. You can keep them fresher longer by using your crisper drawers in the refrigerator, but even then after four or five days your fresh produce will oxidize and lose a lot of moisture. A little cold water can bring quite a few flabby pieces back to life, however. You just need to follow a few simple steps.

To get your salad supplies in shape, the first step is to inspect all your produce to see if anything needs trimming. Cut away anything that is showing obvious signs of rot, or anything that is dry to the point of being brown and crispy. Now, trim the root ends of greens, celery, fennel, and other similar veggies about a ¼ of an inch. Peel any root vegetables like carrots, radishes, and parsnips.

Next, plunge your vegetables into a bowl of ice water and let it sit until everything perks up. For lettuce and herbs, 15 to 30 minutes should be enough. Give denser items like carrots and beets an hour. You can treat anything with a stalk like you would a bunch of flowers and submerge just the ends.

In addition to perking up your salad greens, ice water is also great for storing cut fruit and vegetables, which is great if you do your meal prep one day a week and need things to last several days. Ice water will keep carrots, celery, and apple slices crisp and also stretch out their shelf life. All you need to do is peel and cut your produce and submerge it in a container that you can fit inside the refrigerator. If your pieces float, like apple slices, you can weigh them down by placing a small plate on top so that they stay submerged. Be sure to change out the water every other day or so to keep everything fresh.

Salad is essentially a bowl of raw vegetables, so there's really no place to hide a ho-hum carrot or a so-so slice of celery. If you cut corners when it comes to freshness, your salad will suffer — and may even get tossed in the trash. Produce — and especially salads — are the most commonly wasted foods, which is not only a waste of money but a major contributor to global environmental problems. Before you pitch that bag of spring mix, check to see if it's gone bad or if it just needs an ice water bath; you'll get a fresh, crisp salad together in a snap, and save some money in the process.