Upgrade your salad game: Fast and easy gadgets for better bowls

10/05/2024

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Whether you’re relishing the vibrant flavours of locally sourced seasonal produce or tending to your own garden, summer is the season for salads. Yet, assembling them can often be time intensive. From efficient methods for herb preparation to effective techniques for produce cleaning, here are some invaluable tools to streamline your salad-making process.

Cuisinart Salad Spinner

amazon, upgrade your salad game: fast and easy gadgets for better bowls

Nobody likes a soggy salad! A spinner is the best (and easiest) way to clean not only your leafy greens, but also herbs or even berries if you send them for a gentle spin. Reviewers like how easy this highly rated spinner is to use and the fact that it’s durable and fits cozily in your fridge.

$24.99 on Amazon

Luvcosy Salad Scissors

That handful of fresh parsley or oregano can be tricky to chop…so why not cut them by hand? These salad scissors are perfect for herbs–leafy, fine or otherwise–though they’re also tough enough to cut through larger veggies including cucumber.

$11.99 on Amazon (was $12.99)

Vegetable Chopper

If you’re craving a “sub in a tub” salad, it’s very likely you’re on salad TikTok and this chopper has popped up on your “for you page.” Who couldn’t use an easy way to chop a bunch of vegetables? It especially works well for more dense produce such as carrots, onions and potatoes–you know, the kind that take just a little extra effort to cut by hand.

$29.99 on Amazon (was $39.99)

Stylish Plastic Over the Sink Collapsible Colander

Collapsible colander

This dishwasher-friendly item stretches over your sink to let produce dry pre-salad chop. Since it’s collapsible, it also takes up less real estate in your kitchen boards and even stands on its side to tuck away nicely.

$40 at Rona

Luvan Grape Cutter for Toddlers

This fun tool makes quick work of quartering grape tomatoes and grapes (for your Waldorf salad!). While it’s labeled as a tool for toddlers, this fast and ergonomically designed tool is dishwasher-safe and not just for kids.

$17.99 on Amazon

Heyjar Fruit and Vegetable Cleaner

Occasionally, food safety concerns capture headlines. Enter this waterproof device: simply place it in a bowl or sink of water with your produce to ensure purification, alleviating any worries. Its versatility extends beyond food; it can also be used for meat, grains, kitchen utensils and even jewellery.

$39.99 on Amazon (was $43.99)

OXO Good Grips Vegetable Brush

Sometimes your veggies need a bit of a scrub before being tossed into a salad–we’re looking at you, potatoes and carrots. This palm-sized, stiff-bristled brush is also dishwasher-friendly.

$10.84 on Amazon

Zulay Kitchen Metal Lemon Squeezer

Making your own dressing with freshly squeezed lemon juice is a great start to boosting the quality of your salads. This squeezer, which you can also use to squeeze oranges and limes, is simple to use and easy to clean (though it’s best to clean it by hand rather than the dishwasher).

$16.99 on Amazon

Trudeau Maison Stainless Steel Garlic Press and Crusher

Garlic is a critical ingredient in many salad dressings, and this self-cleaning, sturdy press means you’re not stuck with a sticky, stinky and papery mess on your hands after you’ve finished your Caesar salad.

$19.48 on Amazon

Kitchenado 2-in-1 Salad Dressing Shaker

Save on grocery bills and make your salad dressings this summer. Not only does this easy-to-pour salad dressing shaker have a juicer at the top, but reviewers report it’s leak-free when you do give it a shake to mix up your French vinaigrette.

$20.99 on Amazon

Bamboo Wood Cutting Board Set with 7 Flexible Cutting Mats

This colour-coded set will help you remember which foods get cut on which mats (so your sliced plums don’t taste like onions!). You’ll also appreciate the non-slip design which makes for safer slicing. Complete with a wood storage container which doubles another cutting board, what’s not to love?

$43.99 on Amazon

Manual Vegetable Chopper

Need to top your salad with pecans or walnuts for a tasty crunch? This chopper makes quick and easy work with its unique pull system that moves the blades–five pulls on the string makes for a rough chop while ten times makes for a finer cut.