This shocking trick promises to revive even the droopiest lettuce.
Salad lovers rejoice! There’s a smarter, faster way to bring your lettuces, herbs and leafy greens back from the brink. While many intuitively think wilted greens should take a refreshing bath in cold water, we’re here to debunk that myth. Instead, they need to be perked up in a basin of hot water—yes, really! Here’s everything you need to know about fixing wilted greens.
How to Fix Wilted Lettuce
All you need to do is fill a large bowl with hot water (about 120 degrees Fahrenheit). Submerge your wilted greens, and let them soak until they perk up, anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. Then, drain them and cool them off again. If you’re using them immediately, use an ice-water bath. If you have some time, wrap them in a damp towel and refrigerate them.
Where Did Soaking Lettuce in Hot Water Come From?
This hack was recently re-popularized by Bon Appetit‘s Shilpa Uskokovic. However, it’s been around in some form for at least a decade. Uskokovic credits journalist Tracie Macmillan’s 2012 book, The American Way of Eating: Undercover at Walmart, Applebee’s, Farm Fields, and the Dinner Table for introducing her to the technique.
Apparently, while working at a Walmart, Macmillan was instructed to use this “crisping” method on the produce before shelving it. Additionally, in 2013, Modernist Cuisine, the famous research kitchen, published its advice for “heat-shocking” produce.
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