Written by Lara Yehia. Lara researches home and kitchen products for Cupindy.
Last reviewed October 31, 2026 · Cupindy is not affiliated with any brand on this page.
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Our pick for most kitchens
OXO Good Grips Steel Salad Spinner
A press-down knob, a brake button, and a 6.34-quart steel bowl you can carry to the table. OXO's Amazon listing says all parts are top-rack dishwasher safe.
See the OXO Steel spinner on AmazonThe catch: OXO lists the materials as “Stainless steel, plastic” and doesn't say which part is which.
The short answer
None of the listings we read calls its salad spinner plastic-free. On the steel and glass models, the part named as steel or glass is the bowl. Where a maker or listing names the lid or basket, it names a plastic. Where it doesn't, it only names the bowl.
So buy a stainless steel salad spinner for the bowl, which goes from the sink to the table. Don't buy one expecting your greens to touch only metal.
The 5 salad spinners at a glance
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| Spinner | Bowl, and what the maker or listing names | Shop |
|---|---|---|
| OXO Good Grips Steel. Best for most kitchens | Steel bowl, knob and brake. OXO lists “Stainless steel, plastic” | See it |
| OXO Good Grips Glass. Best if you want to see the greens | Borosilicate glass bowl, pump and brake button | See it |
| SveBake 5.3 Qt. Best crank model | Steel bowl, hand crank, “BPA-Free plastic lid”; the clearest listing about what to hand-wash | See it |
| Lunememo 5.3 Qt. Crank model | 304 steel bowl, lid “BPA-free PP”, silicone base | See it |
| OXO Good Grips, clear plastic. If plastic is fine | Clear plastic bowl, pump and brake | See it |
Which parts of a stainless steel salad spinner are still plastic?
On the steel spinners where a part is named as steel, it is the bowl. The basket, the lid and the knob or crank are either named as plastic or not named at all. The basket is where your wet leaves sit, so that is the part to ask about.
We read each maker's product page where it would load and each Amazon listing on October 31, 2026. The grid shows what each one says.
| Part | OXO Steel | OXO Glass | SveBake 5.3 Qt | Lunememo 5.3 Qt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowl | Stainless steel | Borosilicate glass | Stainless steel | 304 stainless steel |
| Basket (holds the greens) | Material not named | Material not named | Material not named | Material not named |
| Lid | Material not named | Material not named | BPA-free plastic | BPA-free PP (polypropylene) |
| Knob, crank and brake | Knob and brake, material not named | Pump and brake, material not named | Crank and stop button, material not named | Crank and stop button, material not named |
| Non-slip base | Material not named | Material not named | Silicone | Silicone |
| Dishwasher | All parts, top rack | All parts, top rack | Outer bowl only; basket and lid by hand | Title says yes; the bullet points don't mention it |
| Where it comes from | OXO's product page and Amazon listing | Amazon listing; no OXO product page found | Amazon listing | Amazon listing |
The basket holds the leaves. On every model here, the bowl is the part named as steel or glass.
OXO names two materials for its steel model on its own product page: “Stainless steel, plastic.” It never says which part is the plastic one.
California's AB 1200 law has cookware brands post certain chemicals in their products. OXO's disclosure page lists an item called “OXO STL Salad Spinner,” which we read as the steel model, with six entries: chromium compounds, total chromium, iron, manganese, and two nickel entries. Those are metals commonly used in stainless steel. The page names the product, not a model number, and covers the whole spinner, not one part.
Zyliss was the only maker we found that names every material it uses. Its Swift Dry Salad Spinner Stainless Steel page lists “Stainless Steel, Polypropylene (PP), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), Wheat Straw Plastic, Silicone.” That is four non-steel materials in a steel spinner, from the brand itself. Zyliss doesn't say which part is which either. We didn't link it, because its steel model had a limited review history on Amazon when we checked.
Two other listings spell it out. Ourokhome's 6.3-quart model says in its listing: “The outer bowl is made with 304 stainless steel. The lid and inner basket are plastic components.” Calphalon's Aero promises “A 6.3-quart stainless steel outer bowl” in its bullets, while the material box at the top of the same listing says “Plastic.” The listings suggest the same thing: the steel is the outer bowl.
PP, the plastic named for the Lunememo lid, is explained in our guide to plastic grades for food storage. For what 304 and 18/8 mean on the steel side, see stainless steel grades.
Steel, glass or plastic: which bowl?
The bowl decides the weight and whether it can go to the table. On OXO's models it doesn't change the spinning parts: the steel and glass versions both use the same style of pump and brake as OXO's plastic spinner, according to their listings.
Steel is the one to buy if the bowl will go to the table, like the OXO Steel salad spinner. It is also heavy. The OXO Steel listing gives 3.9 pounds, the OXO Glass 3.23 pounds and the SveBake 2.4 pounds.
Glass lets you see the greens, and guests can see the salad. OXO's glass model has a “borosilicate glass” bowl that OXO calls “perfect for serving salads or storing greens.” Glass can crack if you drop it on tile.
Plastic is what OXO's Good Grips spinner uses. It is a top seller in its category, and if the bowl isn't the part that worries you, it does the same job.
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Glass bowl
OXO Good Grips Glass Salad Spinner
Good for: serving and storing greens in the same bowl.
Why it is here: a 6.22-quart borosilicate glass bowl with a 4.4-quart basket (5.9 L and 4.1 L on the listing), a pump and a brake button. The listing says all parts are top-rack dishwasher safe.
The drawback: it is glass, so a drop on a hard floor can end it. The listing names only the bowl material.
See the OXO Glass spinner on Amazon
If plastic is fine
OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner (clear plastic)
Good for: anyone who is fine with plastic and wants the classic.
Why it is here: the same press-and-brake idea, and a lid that comes apart. OXO's listing says “All parts are dishwasher safe - top rack is recommended.”
The drawback: the bowl is clear plastic too, which is what this page is about avoiding.
See the plastic OXO spinner on AmazonThanksgiving and holiday tables, then January meal prep
A steel or glass spinner saves a bowl in November and December. Wash the greens in it, spin them, then put the bowl on the table with the salad. That is the main reason to pay more for the OXO Steel or the OXO Glass than for plastic.
The steel bowl goes from the sink to the table, so there is one less bowl to wash.
In January, a spinner can also hold washed greens in the fridge. OXO's listing for its plastic model suggests you “use it for meal prep as a lettuce keeper - wash your lettuce before dinner, pop it in the fridge and take it out when ready to serve.” OXO says this about the plastic model only. A 6-quart bowl takes a lot of fridge shelf, so check the space first.
Prepping more than greens? Our vegetable chopper guide checks those part by part too. For wooden salad bowls and servers, see wooden kitchenware: pros and cons.
Our pick: OXO Good Grips Steel Salad Spinner
For most kitchens, this is the steel spinner to buy. OXO gives the bowl as 6.34 quarts and the basket as 4.95 quarts. You press the knob with one hand, and the brake stops the basket when you want to unload. OXO says “The lid comes apart for easy cleaning” and calls the steel bowl “perfect for serving salad.”
It is also the model with the AB 1200 listing described above. That list says nothing about the plastic parts, and we couldn't read SveBake's or Lunememo's own sites to compare.
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Our pick
OXO Good Grips Steel Salad Spinner
Good for: a steel bowl that goes from sink to table.
Why it is here: a press-down knob, a brake button, a basket that doubles as a colander, and a steel serving bowl. OXO's page shows a dishwasher-safe badge, and the listing says all parts go on the top rack.
The drawback: OXO lists “Stainless steel, plastic” without saying which part is plastic. At 3.9 pounds on its listing, it weighs more than the glass and SveBake models.
See the OXO Steel spinner on AmazonPump, crank or pull cord?
A pump or knob needs only one hand. A crank is a manual salad spinner you turn with one hand while the other holds the bowl. We didn't find a steel-bowl pull-cord or electric model to recommend.
Both OXO models have a knob in the middle of the lid that you press, with a brake button to stop the basket. SveBake and Lunememo use a crank on top with a stop button. SveBake describes its “hand-crank design” as “simple and efficient.” Since you hold the bowl while you turn, the base matters. Both SveBake and Lunememo name silicone for theirs.
Pull-cord spinners spin when you pull a string. Electric ones run on a battery. We didn't check either type for this page, so neither is in the picks.
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Crank model
SveBake 5.3 Qt Stainless Steel Salad Spinner
Good for: a steel bowl with a crank.
Why it is here: a 5.3-quart (5 L) steel bowl, a hand crank with a stop button, and a silicone non-slip bottom. SveBake names the lid as “BPA-Free plastic.” The listing also suggests it for herbs, berries and draining pasta.
The drawback: the title says dishwasher safe, but SveBake's description says only the “Stainless steel outer bowl is dishwasher safe,” while “the inner basket and lid can be easily rinsed by hand.” Go by the description. SveBake doesn't name the basket material.
See the SveBake spinner on AmazonWhat size salad spinner do you need?
Every spinner on this page is 5.3 quarts or bigger, which covers family salads and a whole head of lettuce at once. For one or two people, a small salad spinner such as OXO's Little Salad and Herb Spinner takes less room.
The capacities as the makers and listings give them:
- OXO Steel: bowl 6.34 quarts, basket 4.95 quarts (OXO's spec).
- OXO Glass: bowl 6.22 quarts, basket 4.4 quarts (5.9 L and 4.1 L on the listing).
- SveBake and Lunememo: 5.3 quarts (5 L).
Watch the basket number, because the basket holds the leaves. If you wash for four or more, the bigger basket on the OXO Steel is the better fit.
Is a salad spinner dishwasher safe? What each maker says
Check the lid before you load it. OXO's listings say all parts of its steel and glass models go on the top rack. SveBake says only its steel bowl does, and Zyliss says to hand-wash the lid.
- OXO Steel: OXO's page shows a “Dishwasher Safe” badge. The Amazon listing says “All parts are top-rack dishwasher safe.”
- OXO Glass: the listing says “all parts are top-rack dishwasher safe.”
- SveBake: the title says dishwasher safe. The description says the outer bowl only; the basket and lid by hand.
- Lunememo: the title says dishwasher safe. The bullet points don't mention it.
- Zyliss (not linked): “Dishwasher safe, only bowl and basket.” Its FAQ adds: “The lid should be handwashed to protect the internal pump.” That reason applies to Zyliss's own lid; check whether yours has a pump inside.
Take the lid apart if it comes apart and let every piece dry before you put it back together.
When a listing contradicts itself, go by the more careful line. To clean any of them, take the lid apart if it comes apart (both OXO models do), rinse the pieces, and let them dry before you put them back together. A dish drying rack with a slot for lids helps.
Collapsible salad spinners
We found no collapsible spinner with a steel bowl. The folding sides are usually silicone or plastic. We didn't look at plastic collapsible models, so we won't pick one here.
How we chose
We did not test these spinners by hand. We read what each maker and each Amazon listing says, part by part, and compared them.
- We started from the stainless steel spinners that are top sellers in Amazon's salad spinner category, plus OXO's glass and plastic models for comparison.
- On October 31, 2026 we read OXO's product page and its AB 1200 disclosure page, Zyliss's product page, and the Amazon listings for the seven spinners named here. Every quote on this page was read twice.
- SveBake's website didn't finish loading for us, and Lunememo's wouldn't open. Neither Amazon listing had a manual attached, so for those two everything here comes from the listing. OXO's site returned “page not found” for a glass spinner page, so the glass details come from its listing.
- We left out spinners with a limited review history, including Zyliss's steel model and the Calphalon Aero, and quote them only where their listings or pages say something useful.
- We didn't check Rosle, Sur La Table, Williams Sonoma, KitchenAid or Cuisinart spinners.
- We didn't include prices. They change too often.
Salad spinner FAQ
What is a salad sling, and is it better than a spinner?
A salad sling is a bag you fill with wet leaves and swing to throw the water off. Some are cotton or linen. Others are nylon or polyester mesh, which is plastic fiber, so check the label. It folds into a drawer, but you need room to swing it. We didn't check any slings for this page.
Do salad spinners really work?
They do one job: they throw the water off washed leaves, and dry leaves hold dressing better than wet ones. We didn't test drying, so we can't rank these on how well they spin.
Is a stainless steel salad spinner better than plastic?
It is better as a bowl you serve from. No steel model we checked names a steel basket, so the parts grid above matters more than the word “stainless.”
Is there a metal salad spinner without plastic?
Not that we could confirm. Every maker or listing that named its lid or basket material named a plastic.
Does the OXO salad spinner lid come apart?
Yes. OXO says “The lid comes apart for easy cleaning” on its steel spinner page. Its plastic model's listing says the lid comes apart “so moisture won't build up.”
Can I leave lettuce in the salad spinner?
OXO suggests using its plastic spinner as a lettuce keeper in the fridge for meal prep. It gives no time limit, and it doesn't say the same for its steel or glass models.
What else can you dry in a salad spinner, or use it as a lettuce dryer for?
Herbs, berries and other washed produce. SveBake's listing also suggests removing excess water from pasta.
Which salad spinner maker names every material?
Zyliss, for its Swift Dry Stainless Steel model: stainless steel, polypropylene, ABS, wheat straw plastic and silicone. It doesn't map them to parts. OXO lists “Stainless steel, plastic” for its steel model. The other listings we read name the bowl and sometimes the lid.
Sources (opened October 31, 2026). Product facts for the picks come from each Amazon listing on the same date: OXO Good Grips Steel, OXO Good Grips Glass, OXO Good Grips, SveBake 5.3 Qt and Lunememo 5.3 Qt, plus the Ourokhome 6.3 Qt and Calphalon Aero listings quoted above.
