Spinach
Spinacia oleracea · Leafy green
Top 10 pairings
Spinach's tender, deep-green leaves go raw into salads or wilt to a fraction of their volume. Young ones are mild, faintly sweet and grassy; mature ones turn earthy and mineral, with a mouth-drying edge from oxalic acid.
Picking a good onedrag
Squeaky, just cut, standing upYellow, limp, slimy at the stem
Shop freshEveryday bestThe all-rounder: raw, wilted in butter, or into soup.
LeafGreen, blades relaxed, still flat
The drapeSoft in the hand, still lifting
Cut stemsCut ends drying, crowns still firm
Smell at the leafGreen and neutral, almost nothing
What you get from one
72%
Edible part
340 g · large stems and roots off
472 g
Weight each
each one
Keeping ittap a temperature
A domestic fridge holds it about 7× longer than the counter.
95-100%
Humidity
Vented, never sealed
Airflow