“I worry about scientists discovering that lettuce has been fattening all along.” Erma Bombeck

Americans consume more potatoes and tomatoes than lettuce, but lettuce comes third in a ranking of most consumed foods. When I’m making dinner at home, my dinner almost always features a salad, and not because I love vegetables. It’s because it doesn’t need to be cooked. It is a great side dish that is as simple as taking it out of the fridge. With very little extra effort, by changing the dressing and what you add to the salad, it can be a different side dish every meal.

I admit to buying the pre-washed lettuce leaves in plastic containers. Terrible behavior for many reasons – NOT climate friendly, and I’m not getting the tastiest lettuce I could buy. I should be buying head lettuces – the ones where the leaves are still bound to a central stem. Those leaves have been allowed to mature, develop texture and sturdiness, and develop their full flavor. The pre-washed leaves in plastic have been removed from their stem as babies, which stunted their growth, size, and flavor. If little leaves are what you want, buy small leaf non-lettuces like arugula, or large leaf non-lettuces that you will chop up like kale, or large leaf lettuces to chop like iceberg, and romaine. Also, always buy from the farmer’s market so you know the lettuce is recently harvested and will stay fresh for a while.

Coincidentally, Produce Pete from NBC’s “Weekend Today in New York” talked about lettuce this morning. He also highly recommends eating only head lettuces and buying locally. One of his favorite head lettuces is Red Leaf. This lettuce is delicate with crimped leaf edges. Wash it and serve immediately or it will go limp. It is best dressed lightly.

Mâche lettuce is also known as lamb’s lettuce. It comes in little rosettes of dark green leaves that are attached at the roots. The leaves have a sweet nutty taste. It is used raw in salads but can also be steamed or sautéed and served as a vegetable. It is very perishable, so use quickly after purchase.

Little Gem lettuce is another favorite. It is relatively new to markets. The heads look like mini- romaine, but they are crisper and denser. The leaves can be used as crudités with dips, or in salads.

Boston lettuce is one of my favorites. The leaves are tender. Their width makes them excellent to use as lettuce wraps, or as edible decoration under a chicken or seafood salad.

Cleaning lettuce:

Produce Pete tells me that lettuce should not be washed until you are ready to use it. Discard any wilted or yellowed leaves and separate good leaves from stem. Put leaves in a large bowl of cold water. Wiggle the leaves gently around in the water, then wait a minute to allow any grit and sand from the leaves to sink to the bottom of the bowl. You MUST dry the leaves before using. Dressing will not adhere to the leaves if they are still wet, and the dressing will be diluted. Lift the leaves out of the cold water a handful at a time and with a gentle shake, get rid of excess water. Transfer to a salad spinner and spin to dry.

Storing lettuce

Produce Pete says to buy from your local farmer’s market to insure freshness. The bottom of your head lettuce should NOT feel slimy at all. If it does, it’s not fresh.

Put lettuce to be stored into a resealable plastic bag and squeeze out as much air as possible. Fresh lettuce should last for a week or more this way. If you are pressed for time and must pre-wash the lettuce, place a dry paper towel in the bottom of a baggie to absorb moisture and prevent it from wilting and getting slimy. Squeeze out as much air as you can and seal.

Bon Appetit’s recommended salad spinner is the Zyliss Easy Spin 2 Large Salad Spinner. It holds enough lettuce for 6 servings and has a rubberized bottom to prevent slipping. It is powered by a rip cord. $36.95.