Keep Lettuce Fresh Longer With A Simple Storage Trick

Lettuce is a ubiquitous ingredient, appearing in everything from salads and wraps to sandwich toppings. While Anthony Bourdain was adamant about never putting lettuce on a burger, it's still a staple in kitchens everywhere — so it makes sense that we'd want to keep it fresh for as long as possible. Food Republic spoke to Lindsey Chastain, founder of The Waddle and Cluck, to get her expert advice on how to keep it nice and crisp. According to Chastain, your best bet for storing lettuce involves a kitchen item you may have overlooked: tin foil.

While plastic bags or clear containers might be your first impulse, that's not a good idea. As Chastain explains, "Lettuce is mostly water, so storing in plastic bags just allows the moisture to condense on the inside of the bag." She says that this moisture promotes bacterial growth, causing quick spoilage. "Aluminum foil wrapped loosely around a head of lettuce slows down dehydration of the lettuce, but since it's not airtight, it lets all that excess humidity escape." The result? Perfectly crisp leaves ready to be enjoyed at a moment's notice.

Whether you plan to use the lettuce to make Korean pork belly lettuce wraps or an Indonesian vegetable salad with peanut sauce, to get the most out of the tin foil trick, it's essential to completely dry your lettuce after washing it — either by patting it down with a paper towel or a clean kitchen towel to remove any excess water. "I have found the best method for storing lettuce is to wrap the head of the lettuce lightly in foil with a paper towel liner to remove even more moisture," says Lindsey Chastain.

However, excess moisture isn't the only factor to be concerned with. Wrapping lettuce in tin foil also helps prevent another common food spoilage pitfall. "It also blocks the light from the fridge that degrades the chlorophyll and vitamin C," says Chastain. This, in turn, prevents the lettuce from losing its green hue and developing brown or yellow spots.

While wrapping your lettuce in tin foil helps keep it fresher, longer, you also need to ensure it's stored at the correct temperature. Storing lettuce at room temperature — such as on your kitchen counter or in your fruit bowl — significantly increases the risk of bacterial growth. So, after you've wrapped your lettuce, make sure you keep it in the fridge.