STAYING GREEN IN THE TEST KITCHEN

It’s not unusual for the test kitchen fridge to be packed with salad greens. And although we try to work with the greens the day they arrive, it’s not always a possibility. As a result, we’ve come up with a couple of storage tips for greens. First, remove any rubber band or tie from the greens. Constriction only encourages rotting. Gently wash the greens and spin them dry in a salad spinner. Then depending on the type of greens, store them one of two ways:

For delicate greens, line an empty salad spinner with paper towels. Layer the dried greens in the bowl, covering each layer with additional towels, and refrigerate. Greens stored in this manner should keep for at least two days.

For sturdier greens, loosely roll the leaves in paper towels, then seal in a zipper-lock bag and refrigerate. Greens stored this way should keep for up to one week.

We applied our storage techniques to basil too, especially because recipes often call for just a few leaves. First, we found that it’s essential not to wash the basil before storage. In our tests, washing basil before storage decreased its storage life by half. Instead, gently wrap basil in a damp paper towel. It should keep for up to one week.