The Brand That Changed Salad Spinners Forever Is Still The One Worth Buying

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Let's be real for a second — washing lettuce is a pain. Unless a bag instructs you to do otherwise, it's something that just needs to be done to avoid any unwanted illnesses. This is where the humble salad spinner steps in, and luckily for us, there's one brand that continues to deliver the most user-friendly versions: OXO.

OXO not only makes some of the best salad spinners, according to online reviews, but the brand actually completely reinvented the tool back in 1998. Before that, you had to pull a string to activate the spinning motion, an act that seemed cumbersome and unnecessary to the engineers at OXO. So, taking inspiration from a classic child's toy, the iconic brand created the first pump-activated salad spinner.

Interestingly, OXO was founded in 1990 by Sam Farber with the goal of making a vegetable peeler that would be easier for his wife (who had arthritis) to use. The release of the improved salad spinner a few years later was a big step for the company — and it ended up changing the way the tools were made forever. You can find a lot of different spinners nowadays, but OXO still continues to lead the pack, consistently being ranked amongst the best brands to buy.

There are a lot of reasons for OXO's continued domination on the market. The brand kept innovating its spinner after it was released, improving the basket to prevent leaves from sticking and adding a clear lid that was simpler to clean. One element of OXO's current design that people really love is the flat top lid, which makes the device easy to store.

Other star features are the non-slip base that allows for one-handed use, the brake system that can stop the basket spinning on a dime, and the spacious basket of the OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner, which has a capacity of over six quarts — more than enough for an everyday salad recipe. That particular OXO spinner has a 4.7 star rating from over 52,000 reviews on Amazon, with some customers dubbing it "the best salad spinner out there" and others deeming it "a gadget that just makes your life better."

People also love the smaller OXO Good Grips Little Salad and Herb Spinner as well as the OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Salad Spinner, which doubles as an attractive serving bowl. Even Ina Garten says her OXO spinner is one of the kitchen tools she always has on hand. Other brands like Farberware and Cuisinart have also made some good versions, but overall, OXO always comes out on top thanks to its design and functionality.