The Storage Hack To Help You Avoid Slimy Spinach At All Costs

Crisp baby spinach leaves make an awesome substitute for tender butterhead lettuce or arugula in a dressed salad. However, these deep green leaves are often sold in huge bags that are tricky to get through before they turn slimy. Fortunately, there's a simple storage hack that can help you avoid slimy spinach at all costs — washing and drying the leaves well before placing them in a paper-towel-lined container, ready for the crisper drawer.

Spinach decays in moist conditions, causing it to get slimy and give off an unpleasant odor, which is why it's vital to keep the leaves as dry as possible. Before washing your spinach, remove any yellowing, bruised, or wilted leaves as they could cause the fresher ones inside the bag to deteriorate faster. Place the leaves in a colander and give them a gentle wash under a running faucet before drying them in a salad spinner or scattering them over a sheet of paper towel to absorb excess water (put another sheet over the top and press down gently to soak up droplets on the top surface, however do this lightly to avoid bruising them). Once dry, put your spinach into a box that's been lined with more paper towel, making sure they have plenty of breathing room. Put an additional sheet on top to encase the leaves and guarantee moisture absorption from all angles before refrigerating. Then you can whip them out to prepare dishes like this scrumptious spinach salad made with roasted fennel.

If you've bought pre-washed spinach, you can skip the washing stage and simply place a couple of sheets of paper towel inside the store-bought container or bag. Then use a clip or elastic band to seal the bag to prevent any extra moisture getting to the leaves, which will hamper them from rotting as quickly. Alternatively, stack them up in a lidded storage box and place paper towels between each layer before refrigerating. As a side note, storing your spinach away from other fruits and vegetables in your crisper drawer will also ensure produce, like apples and pears, remain fresher. This is because spinach produces a plant hormone called ethylene, which causes surrounding produce to ripen faster and spoil.

If you don't think you'll be able to make your way through an entire bag of spinach before it gets slimy, despite taking every precaution to boost its lifespan, consider freezing it. Much like freezing soft fruits, freezing fresh spinach leaves causes their cellular walls to break down, which means they're soft and watery once defrosted. For this reason frozen spinach isn't the best for salad, however, it's fine for adding to hot spinach recipes, like soups, stew, and curries. Simply squeeze out any excess water before use.