Iceberg lettuce is one of the longer-lasting varieties. Unlike delicate leaf lettuce, its sturdy, round shape with tightly wrapped leaves can last up to two weeks in the refrigerator. To make sure it lasts as long as possible, though, start by picking the right head of lettuce.
Choose one with a light green base and avoid any browning around the edges of the leaves as this may indicate that the lettuce is already past its prime. Once you've brought your iceberg lettuce home, don't wash it until you're ready to use it since surface moisture may cause it to wilt prematurely. Keep it in your fridge's crisper drawer — that's what it's there for — and set the humidity on high.
(This may seem contradictory since we just told you not to let the lettuce get wet, but lettuce, like Goldilocks, needs things to be "just right.") It's also best to keep the lettuce separate from any fruit in the fridge, as fruits may give off a gas that accelerates the ripening process for any produce in the vicinity. You should also wrap the iceberg in plastic as another layer of protection.
If you're using a plastic bag (perhaps even the one it came in), blow into the bag first, then seal it with a twist tie. This may seem weird, but the carbon dioxide in human breath has the opposite effect from the ethylene released by fruit: Instead of speeding up ripening, it slows it down. How to revive slightly wilted lettuce Once your iceberg starts heading south, that doesn't mean it's ready for the compost b.
