This is a simple but effective guide how to clean and cut iceberg lettuce very easy. Iceberg lettuce is nice and crisp, and is perfect for a hamburger or a tortilla wrap.
The iceberg you can buy at the grocery store is normally plastic warped so that it's protected from most dirt during transport. In general iceberg doesn't contain much dirt, but iceberg are grown directly on the ground and may contain some dirt that you need to wash off before you can use it in your food.
Using this guide it only takes about 2 minutes to wash and cut an entire iceberg.
How To: Clean and Cut Iceberg Lettuce the Fast Way
Level of difficulty: Easy
You’ll Need:
Iceberg lettuce
Chopping board
Knife
Directions:
Step 1: If the iceberg has some bad leaves on the outside, start by removing these.
Step 2: Turn the iceberg over and make a circular cut around the root/core. Take out the core and widen the hole by breaking the lettuce from the center and out.
Step 3: Turn on the water and fill water inside the iceberg through hole where the core was.
Step 4: When the iceberg is filled with water (it can contain a lot), shake it a little and then flip it over and let the water run out.
Step 5: Let the iceberg drip off a bit before you cut it on a chopping board.
Step 6: If you think the lettuce is a bit wet, then use a salad spinner to dry it.
carlacarlacarlacarla
How-To's for washing and preparing the lettuce before chopping are thorough. Unless I've overlooked them,, this How-To doesn't include instructions about actually chopping the lettuce.
linmac
he shows a picture of how to cut the lettuce....do you need step by step instructions
Robin
Yes, a video would be nice to see it being chopped. That is why I searched for "how to cut lettuce." Also, it is in the title: "CLEAN AND CUT ICEBERG LETTUCE THE FAST WAY".
kas
Robin relax, it' s just lettuce.
Jean
I don’t see any pictures about how to chop the lettuce. I never chop mine because I read somewhere years ago that anywhere the knife cut into the lettuce would turn it brown. I have been tearing mine all these years. I will try cutting it up next time! JG
Gia Hart
I don't have a salad spinner. I use paper towels. How do I clean and store a head of lettuce?
Kim Nielsen
Hi. I normally store my cleaned and shredded lettuce in a plastic bag.
Stan Hymel
I peel each leaf off dry it & then put in a plastic container with cover leaf by leaf not cutting until I use it When you take each leaf out it generally is crispy Took me a long time to finally do the way I like to eat lettuce, crispy & cold
CAB
I watched an episode of The Kitchen last Saturday. They used a head of iceberg lettuce and they did not wash it. They removed the core, chopped it and used it in a recipe, There's no way it could have been washed with the core not removed.
Marvin
I was told to tear the lettuce because a knife will make it turn brown quicker
Kim Nielsen
That's a great tip - I will try that the next time I use lettuce.
Terrance Brown
I tear my lettuce by hand and place it in a plastic bag with a couple pieces of paper towels. I squeeze out the air , Don't suck it out, never know what particles you may ingest. This last 10-14 days nice and firm with no browning. Wash as you use.
Ryn
The old knives used by our grandparents were usually made of iron or iron alloys which caused lettuce to turn brown. With today’s metals, ceramics & alloys the lettuce doesn’t turn brown from cutting it anymore. Go ahead and cut it, you’ll see.
Inger
I place the lettuce in a clean dish towel, it preserves the lettuce for at least 10 days.
Kim Nielsen
That is actually a great tip putting the lettuce in a dish towel. I'll start doing that :-) Regards Kim (Nordicfoodliving.com)
John Doherty
We have a plastic knife purely for lettuce
Steven Benack
Hi I'm trying to figure out the easiest way to clean the lettuce remnants off the counter. Wet or dry it just rolls into little balls and I have to wipe several times to get it off the counter
Shapachan
It is best to cut the lettuce with a sharp knife, this does the least damage to the leaves. Tearing causes more damage to the leaves allowing them to dry out and wilt sooner.
Cindy
I take off the outer leaves and slice the bottom core. I wrap it in paper towels and put it in a zip loc. I change the paper towels every few days and cut off any browning parts. It can last over a week.