French Collapsible Wire Salad Baskets

I'm getting romaine lettuce and even arugula in my Produce Box these days. The leaves are crisp and bright green...and need a good washing. My standby method for cleaning salad greens is to rinse them under cold running water then lay out each leaf on a clean kitchen towel, roll them up jelly-roll style and, grabbing both ends of the towel firmly in one hand, swing the towel back and forth outside. Some people just use a salad spinner but I'm old fashioned like that. Plus I have so many serving platters and gadgets in my kitchen cabinets I don't have room for another bowl.

Enter an old-fangled gadget my Mom used when I was growing up--the french collapsible wire basket. It rinses off easily and lays flat in a drawer and fits an entire head of romaine lettuce. I can spray the lettuce inside the basket then send one of the kids outside to shake it dry. Just like when we were kids. Wait, does that make me my mother?

Earlier in the year when the spring greens were in season I searched everywhere, including online, for one of these beauties without avail. I asked Mom where she got hers. She couldn't remember but she started looking around in my hometown for another. Also no luck. Finally, she just sent me her old basket. "What am I going to do with it?" she said. "I have a salad spinner."

I haven't seen these in stores but if you want to get one I've seen them sold on Amazon and eBay and even etsy as "vintage" French egg or salad baskets. Even if other people have moved on, I personally use my wire basket all the time. At the very least it would look great hanging from a hook in your kitchen.