If you’re looking to upgrade your salad game, consider what else you might need: an efficient garlic press for flavourful dressings, invest in a top grater for perfect parmesan shavings on a Caesar salad or a cool box to keep your salad crisp for a picnic. Our guide to how to build a better salad shows you what flavours to match together for a well balanced bowl, or check out our top 10 quick salad dressings that you can make in minutes.
A salad spinner is at its best when drying salad leaves and herbs but can be used for other veggies – broccoli, spinach, kale – and firmer fruits, even pasta if you want to dry it once cooked for a salad. Take a look at our best pasta salad recipes for inspiration. Once used, you will wonder how you ever managed without a salad spinner.
How to choose a salad spinner
Size: it is important to consider size and storage space as most spinners are pretty bulky. Many can double up as a colander for rinsing, and the outer bowls for serving, so they can save space that way. Also, look out for space-saving features such as folding handles, flat lids and multi-functions.
Ease of use: the mechanics to make spinners spin vary and can include handles, knobs and even pull cords. Choose the one you feel most comfortable using.
Functions: most spinners simply spin-dry leaves, but look out for others with other functions you may find helpful, such as graters, choppers or for adding dressings.
Slipping: non-slip rubberised bases or feet are handy to stop the spinner from slipping on the worktop.
Best salad spinners to buy at a glance
- Best overall salad spinner: Zyliss Easy Spin, £29.99
- Best for small spaces: Dreamfarm Spina Colander and Salad Spinner, £24.99
- Best for extra features: JosephJoseph Multi-Prep spinner, £50
- Best for families: Oxo Good Grips, £29.99
- Best for dry and dress in one: KitchenCraft Spinner, £20.99
- Best large spinner: Kuhn Rikon spinner, £29.99
- Best no-frills spinner: Judge salad spinner, £14.10
- Best budget salad spinner: ProCook salad spinner, £17
- Best for salad storage: Symple Stuff Rotator, £28.26
- Best for chopped salad: Jean Pratique salad chopper, £10.55
Best salad spinners 2021
Zyliss Easy Spin 2 Salad Spinner Large
Best all-round spinner
Pros
- Fluffs up salad as it dries
- Ergonomic handle
- Excellent quality
Cons
The Zyliss salad spinner was our favourite on the test as a solid, well-built spinner. This was the only one we tested with a pull cord, which initially seems an odd system to use but just one good, effortless pull and the bowl whizzes round, and in most cases was all that was needed to dry our salad completely. If the bowl spins too fast, the brake was incredibly responsive and the waved colander bowl stops suddenly. The unique shape of the colander bowl helps to noticeably fluff up the salad.
The spinner has a deep, substantial plastic bowl with a non-slip base and makes a great serving bowl. The Zyliss is a perfect size for a large number or to wash and dry plenty of salad at once.
The Zyliss comes with a five-year guarantee and everything except the lid is dishwasher proof. The results were the driest, fluffiest salad on the test – it is no wonder we were impressed.
Dreamfarm Spina colander and salad spinner
Best for small spaces
Pros:
- compact
- effective spinning
- dual purpose
Cons:
- no lid sends salad flying
At 21cm, the Dreamfarm is one of the smaller spinners on the test. It is cleverly designed to be a handled colander that flips into a spinner and is operated by pumping the central column, much like an old-fashioned spinning top. Unfortunately, there is no bowl, so you need to do this in the sink. Once dried, tip the leaves into a salad bowl to serve. Rinse the spinner to clean, and to store, the handle slips inside the bowl, all neat and tidy.
The Dreamfarm is sturdy for such a small spinner. It stands firmly on the worktop but does slip around a little without any non-slip material on the base. And, as there’s no lid, once up to speed, lettuce leaves fly, so we had to pull back a little. Even so, the leaves were thoroughly dry and undamaged.
We found this is an excellent small salad spinner and perfect for small spaces.
JosephJoseph Multi-Prep™ 4-piece Salad Preparation Set
Best for extra features
Pros:
- multi-functional
- saves on storage space
- smooth
Cons:
- lots of bits and pieces to keep track of
Calling the JosephJoseph a salad spinner is a little of an understatement as it is multi-functional as a spinner, grater, slicer and spiraliser. So, not only can you dry your salads, but it is also useful in preparing them, too.
Changing the colour coded accessory discs is straightforward – each clips securely into the lid. There are eight pieces, including the four discs, the bowl, colander basket, the lid ring, and a handy finger guard to protect from the sharp blades.
As a family-sized spinner, this is an excellent choice. The bowl and basket are well made and spin smoothly, turned by a strong revolving handle, speeding up effortlessly and stopping abruptly. The salad leaves come out dry and crisp, and intact. All the accessories store inside the bowl, and the lid clicks on securely for storage. The spinner is hand-wash only and comes with a two-year guarantee. JosephJoseph thinks of everything!
OXO Good Grips salad spinner 4.0
Best for families
Pros:
- great salad bowl
- flat lid good for storage
- easy pump action
Cons:
The Oxo Good Grips large salad spinner has won many awards over the years for its classic good looks and functionality, yet it continues to develop the design. The genius of this spinner is the one-handed pump action – great if you have any problems with your hands as little pressure is needed to set the spinner whizzing at an incredible speed. The salad is completely dry in seconds and an effective brake stops it instantly.
Every bit of this spinner is sturdy. The colander is large and robust enough to use for more than salad, and the crystal-clear hardened plastic outer bowl makes a super glass-like serving dish but with none of the weight. We particularly liked the non-slip base on the Oxo Good Grips and that the pump handle clips down firmly, making the lid completely flat – so useful for storage. This is a good-sized salad spinner perfect for a family or anyone who likes to eat a lot of salad and greens.
KitchenCraft salad spinner
Best for dry and dress in one
Pros:
- add dressing function
- good quality for the price
Cons:
- over spinning throws the dressing off
The KitchenCraft is an excellent choice as a salad spinner. There’s a clear plastic bowl with a substantial non-slip base and an inner green colander basket. The lid clips firmly into place, and a large green handle turns the spinner smoothly. Our salad came out dry, crisp and undamaged.
We especially liked that this was the only salad spinner on the test with an aperture in the lid to add dressing as it spins. However, it took us a few goes to get this right as we were turning too quickly, and the dressing flew off onto the sides and into the lid, which was a mess to clean up. We also struggled to pour the dressing into the spinner and turn the handle at the same time. There is a knack to this that we came to with some practice and involved turning more slowly and carefully. Otherwise, this is excellent quality for the price.
Kuhn Rikon salad spinner
Best large spinner
Pros:
- easy wind handle
- reactive brakes
- ergonomic design
- excellent results
Cons:
This super-sized and brightly coloured salad spinner works incredibly well. The easy-to-use handle turns with the lightest of touches, though we needed to rest a hand on the lid to steady this speedy spinner. The colander spins so smoothly that moisture flies from the salad, causing no damage to the leaves on its effortless flight around the bowl.
The decorative green disc on the lid holds the brake button, which, when pressed, stops the spinning abruptly.
The storage of such a large spinner may be a concern for some. The handle is on the side of the lid, taking the diameter to a whopping 32cm and, at 22cm tall, it is the largest on the test. However, this is excellent for anyone who needs to dry large volumes of salad as we filled the colander three-quarters full and the leaves came out bone dry with just a few spins.
If you have the space and the need for lots of salad and veggies to dry, this is the spinner for you.
Judge salad spinner
Best no-frills spinner
Pros:
- great price
- pretty serving bowl
- sieve and bowl dishwasher safe
Cons:
The Judge is a straightforward, no-frills salad spinner doing precisely what is needed: to produce dry, undamaged salad quickly and easily at a fantastic price.
There’s a sizeable ergonomic knob on the lid which is comfortable to hold. It takes a bit of a push to start but once going spins very well. There’s no brake, but the basket stopped abruptly after we stopped turning.
Unfortunately, there is no non-slip on the base, so it needs holding firmly, but putting the spinner on a damp tea towel prevented any skidding across the worktop.
The Judge salad spinner may be a budget price, but it has some lovely touches, with a stylish grey and black design. The crystal-clear acrylic outer bowl is prettier than most with a decorative edge – a simple but effective touch. Both the sieve and bowl are dishwasher safe.
ProCook salad spinner
Best budget-priced spinner
Pros:
- great price
- hardwearing sturdy plastic
- highly effective
Cons:
- not fully dishwasher proof
The ProCook spinner is not just a lovely design with its gently lipped clear acrylic straight-sided bowl and soft sage accent colours, it is also robustly made from hardwearing, sturdy plastic. The lid is strong and fits firmly into the bowl, and we particularly liked the shiny, easy wipe surface.
The outer bowl has a strong rubber non-slip seal on the bottom, ensuring this goes nowhere when spinning. It also has an effective brake, which is unusual at this price. When turning the handle, it is a little noisy but nothing too untoward.
We were very impressed with the dryness of the salad with just a few spins, and everything came out fluffy and undamaged. There is little to dislike about this well-made budget-priced spinner, though we disagree with the claims that it is dishwasher proof; the bowl and colander are, but the lid takes in water around the handle, so we preferred to handwash that part.
Symple Stuff salad rotator
Best for salad storage
Pros:
- great for the fridge
- good for small spaces
Cons:
This stylish-looking rotator (as Symple Stuff likes to call this spinner) was the only jug-style we tested. The tall design (rather than a round bowl) makes this great for storing the washed salad in the fridge, taking up far less space. In addition, the tightly fitting lid meant our salad stayed crisp and fresh for a few days.
The design is simple: the straight sides are two-tone, moving from transparent to opaque, with a soft green lid. The integral, curved handle is good to hold when spinning as there is no slip on the base to keep it steady. Also in the lid is the spinner handle which turns effortlessly and sends the inner colander flying, resulting in quickly dried, undamaged leaves.
There is absolutely nothing to dislike about this simple jug style, unless you are bothered about not having a serving bowl, as offered with most other spinners.
Jean Patrique salad cutter bowl
Best for chopped salad
Pros:
Cons:
- less effective drying
- flimsy
This simple piece of kit from Jean Patrique is a bit of a wild card here in the line-up. It is not a spinner, but it does help dry salad – though its primary purpose is to chop it. Using the evenly spaced slots on the domed lid to cut one way, lift and turn, then chop in another direction for a simple, easy salad.
The soft plastic dome makes a neat little colander to rinse the leaves. Pop the base on and hold on firmly with both hands and shake over the sink. Surprisingly it does a reasonable job, but is not as good as a spinner.
At just over £10, it does not have the most substantial construction – however, though flimsy, it does work and is a fabulous little gadget for anyone who struggles to hold a knife and chop.
How we tested salad spinners
Each spinner was tested by washing leaves and herbs for our classic green salad recipe.
We looked at the design and quality of the material, the build of the spinners, how they operated and any additional features. We checked that the spinner felt secure and stable, simple to use, and easy to store and clean. Notably, was all the water removed from the leaves and were any damaged or crushed?
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This review was last updated in July 2021. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability, please get in touch at [email protected]
