Is it true that if you 'cut' lettuce....it will brown faster?...

[Tammy]

I have heard this...but never tried it....I heard you are supposed to 'tear' lettuce....to keep the browning down.....true or not?

 

Tammy

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

I have heard this...but never tried it....I heard you are supposed to 'tear' lettuce....to keep the browning down.....true or not?

 

Tammy

 

True. Though if you're going to use your lettuce right away, it doesn't matter.

[abbeyej]

Yes, it's true... *But* if you're planning to eat the lettuce in the very near future (within an hour or two), it's just not an issue. If you want to chop up lettuces for salads for the next two days, yes, it will wilt. (Especially the "better" lettuces like red leaf, boston, etc, etc.) I usually do use a knife if I'm making a salad right before mealtime -- it's just quicker. Tearing instead of chopping will buy you a little extra time (like if you want to take a tupperware of a salad with you somewhere), but the fact is, green salads just don't like to be prepared all that much in advance.

 

One thing I have done in the past is chop the *other* veggies I want to toss with my salad ahead of time. Then when it's time for the salad, I'll chop up my lettuces and throw in as much of the other chopped veggies as I want.

[Serendipity]

Yes, it is true that if you 'cut' lettuce it browns faster, but it depends on the cutting utensil. I believe it's a chemical reaction to the metal of the knife that causes browning. I could be remembering wrong, though.

 

Next time you're at a Wal-Mart or Target, look in their kitchen utensils section for a green, plastic "knife". You can use it to cut lettuce, and the lettuce doesn't brown.

 

One way I keep lettuces fresh is to wash them in cold water, then dry with paper towels. Instead of throwing the just slightly dampened paper towels away, I wrap the lettuce in them and put the whole package into a gallon ziploc bag.

 

:)

[Mx5]

I have heard this...but never tried it....I heard you are supposed to 'tear' lettuce....to keep the browning down.....true or not?

 

Tammy

 

I watched a Good Eats episode on this. Fascinating! Here's what Alton Brown said,

 

"All the leaves or greens and lettuces are basically little cellulose boxes that are full of water. It's kind of like this bubble wrap. Just pretend these are full of water instead of air. When you cut a leave—well, besides looking like Norman Bates—you breach some of the cells. Now, on a softer more fragile leaf this would result in bruising, a kind of darkening along the edge of the cut which is ugly and gummy.

But, if you tear the same leaf, the leaves just split right along the cell boundary. So if you're prepping delicate stuff, either tear it or leave them whole until you serve them. Hearty leaves like romaine, go ahead and cut. Don't worry about what chef said. Just be sure you slice, don't hack."

 

Salad Daze transcript - Good Eats

[Mrs Mungo]

Yes, it is true that if you 'cut' lettuce it browns faster, but it depends on the cutting utensil. I believe it's a chemical reaction to the metal of the knife that causes browning. I could be remembering wrong, though.

 

No, you are correct. I have a big, plastic chef's knife that I use for cutting lettuce and it doesn't brown.

[Montana Peach]

I always tear mine but I discovered something strange when I moved to Montana, maybe the altitude? I rarely have the leaf part brown but if I put in the white 'stem' part on iceburg lettuce, it turns an odd reddish brown color so I just leave that part out and no more browning issues. I never had this happen anywhere else.

[KristineIN]

Also, the darker the lettuce, the healthier it is for you. I didn't really pay attention until years ago my midwife told me to eat Romaine. Iceberg lettuce is just mainly a filler and doesn't have a whole lot of nutritional value. I NEVER buy ice burg now. It really doesn't have a whole lot of flavor either.

 

Kristine

[Ellie]

I have heard this...but never tried it....I heard you are supposed to 'tear' lettuce....to keep the browning down.....true or not?

 

I always tear lettuce for salads, anyway. I dunno...it looks better or something :-)

 

I will cut it if I'm making tacos, though, because we're going to eat it right away and it needs to be in smaller pieces than what I use in salad.

[cin]

It doesn't turn brown if it is cut with a stainless steel knife, or at least not as quickly. When I used my mom's old (REALLY OLD) knives it turns brown, but with my newer knives it doesn't.

[mcconnellboys]

You can use a plastic knife to cut it and it won't brown!

 

Regena

[Lisa at Home]

We eat a ton of salad. It's always in the house. Because of this, at times I make large batches to keep for a week or more. I always use a good quality very sharp knife. The ONLY time my salad goes brown is when I have stored the salad in Tupperware or Ziplock bags (I don't do this anymore). I believe that a lot of times, it's improper storage procedures that ruin your lettuce.

 

Yes it IS possible to bruise your lettuce, but it doesn't even mean that is noticeable to the naked eye. If your lettuce is really brown, it's not beause of the knife.

 

I have talked with restaurant owners and culinary arts teachers who have agreed with me on this. I don't understand why so many people believe otherwise, but I suppose it's just one of those standard answer things that everyone believes. Even the food network people.

 

~Lisa

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

We eat a ton of salad. It's always in the house. Because of this, at times I make large batches to keep for a week or more. I always use a good quality very sharp knife. The ONLY time my salad goes brown is when I have stored the salad in Tupperware or Ziplock bags (I don't do this anymore). I believe that a lot of times, it's improper storage procedures that ruin your lettuce.

 

Yes it IS possible to bruise your lettuce, but it doesn't even mean that is noticeable to the naked eye. If your lettuce is really brown, it's not beause of the knife.

 

I have talked with restaurant owners and culinary arts teachers who have agreed with me on this. I don't understand why so many people believe otherwise, but I suppose it's just one of those standard answer things that everyone believes. Even the food network people.

 

~Lisa

 

LOL, well, I believe it because when I cut my lettuce and it sits around for awhile, it turns... brown. :D