Value for Money: Salad spinners

This week, Value for Money compares five salad spinners

* * * * * Excellent

* * * * Great

* * * Fine

* * Below Par

* Awful

Tontarelli Salad spinner from Lidl, €3.99

Highs: This lightweight spinner is very, very cheap, especially when compared with some of the more upmarket options we came across. There is a fairly smooth spinning action and, while there are bells and whistles, it will spin and then dry your lettuce leaves without much fuss.

Lows: The components are a little on the flimsy side so you will not be passing this on to your grandchildren as a family heirloom. But, at this price, as long as it lasts through one summer, you've got good value for money. Availability might be a problem – last week it was on Lidl's special product shelves along with the blow torches and life-size human skeletons (no, not really), so by the time you read this they may have disappeared.

Verdict: Cheap

Star rating: * * *

Zyliss Salad Spinner, €49

Highs: This Swiss-made spinner is very shiny and very solid, and the brushed stainless silver bowl could easily have uses beyond the world of salad. It has a flat top, so you can pile other things on top of it in your fridge, something which might be necessary as it will take up a lot of space. Zyliss promises that one pull of the cord removes all water and impurities – and one tug did seem to be sufficient.

Lows: It has a stop button should you wish to bring the spinning to a sudden halt. We could not think why we would need a stop button – and then we read on the box that "the abrupt stopping action fluffs salad" – no sniggering down the back – although, despite numerous experiments, we were unable to tell the difference between fluffed and unfluffed leaves. Of more concern is the price – it is the dearest of the options reviewed.

Verdict: Not cheap at all

Star rating: * * *

You Are What You Eat Salad Express €39.99

Highs: This is a cross between a food processor and a salad spinner, and, in addition to spinning the life out of leaves, vegetables fed through a chute in the lid can be diced, grated and chopped depending on which of the attachments are connected to the lid. Made by Russell Hobbs, it was not as dear as we thought it might be – at least not in Woodies, where we found it. It comes with a recipe book which has a few nice salad ideas.

Lows: Any salad spinner that comes with a vast amount of Styrofoam, a plug and a lengthy instruction leaflet is not for us. It seems to be an overly complicated and ultimately pointless piece of kitchen kit which will generate more washing-up than is strictly necessary.

Verdict: Too complicated

Star Rating: * *

Le Creuset Salad Spinner, €25

Highs: Initially, we were curious as to why this manufacturer of highly regarded heavyweight pots was making lightweight salad spinners, but once we'd given it a whirl, we were quite glad they were. This large spinner is excellent – its no-slip base makes it steady as a rock, the airtight lid keeps leaves fresher for longer and it is also suitable for hot foods such as pastas (although, in truth, spinning such foods may be of marginal interest). It is very sturdy, the flat lid facilitates stacking and the spun salad could quite handily be served in the bowl designed to catch the water.

Lows: The price is certainly a concern – while we paid €25 for it in the Le Creuset store in Kildare Village, it would be harder to justify the normal price of €38. Its size may deter some people.

Verdict: Top notch but shop around

Star Rating: * * * * *

Chef’N Small Salad Spinner, €23

Highs: Pricewatch has long had a soft spot for Chef'N products, which are functional and sturdy with a funky edge. This is no exception. The company makes spinners in a range of sizes – we opted for the smallest of them, which is more suited to salads for two and won't take up as much storage space as some of the alternatives. It is operated through a pump-action handle – one single pump makes its spin for an age. It also has a stop button – no doubt good for fluffing, although this product makes no such claim.

Lows: While it is small, its shape and the pump-action handle make it slightly cumbersome when it comes to storage. And, as with most of the other products, it is hard to understand why it is nearly six times dearer than the cheapest model on the market.

Verdict: Perfectly formed

Star Rating: * * * *