Salad will last longer without wilting if stored with 1 kitchen item

Just like the seasons change so do our appetites, with the hot summer weather typically making us feel less hungry.

When it's gloriously sunny a hearty roast dinner topped with lashings of gravy suddenly becomes a lot less appealing than a refreshingly light meal, which is why many people tend to turn to salads in the summer. Not only are they a healthy choice, but salads are high in water content which helps with hydration when the weather is warm. The only downside of eating a lot of salad in the summer months is keeping it fresh.

Salads tend to wilt and go bad quickly due to excess moisture on the leaves, bacteria and natural aging, and pre-washed and pre-cut varieties tend to have a shorter shelf life. Keeping salad in the fridge can help to slow down spoilage but adding one extra kitchen item will help to keep it fresher for longer - and all you need is a piece of kitchen roll.

Adding a sheet of kitchen roll to a bag of salad will help to prevent it wilting as the paper will soak up excess moisture. This protects the salad from turning slimy as dry leaves are less prone to wilting, so it preserves the crisp texture and keeps it fresher for longer.

My Oceans explains: "Ever opened your salad bag to find your greens have wilted before you had a chance to use them? It's a common problem caused by excess moisture in the bag - particularly at cold, refrigerated temperatures. So how can a paper towel help?

"By wrapping your greens in kitchen roll - or simply placing a kitchen towel in the salad container - the excess moisture can be absorbed into the paper towel rather than into your greens. This should help to keep them crisper and fresher for longer, so you get to enjoy the crunch of a delicious, unwithered salad without having to throw half of it away."

If you've bought pre-packaged salad then experts recommend opening it and placing a piece of kitchen roll on top of the leaves inside the bag, then seal it securely and replace it when the towel becomes damp.

If you make your own salad at home then simply place a piece of kitchen roll at the bottom of a sealable container to absorb the excess moisture.

Eating Well adds: "When storing loose leaves, you can opt to wash them beforehand, but be sure to thoroughly dry them with paper towels or in a salad spinner, as wet leaves will easily wilt or turn slimy.

"Once dried, wrap the lettuce leaves in a paper towel before placing in a plastic bag (the paper towel helps absorb any extra moisture, so your leaves stay crisp). Then, store the plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. These loose lettuce leaves should be consumed within three days of storing."