Weeknight salads aren't a mystery. None of the usual tools was built for the whole job.
Paper towels dry the counter better than the lettuce. Wet leaves make dressing slide off, pool at the bottom, and leave homemade salad watery.
The plastic spinner did one job — until it cracked. It only dries, so you still need the cutting board, knife, colander, and serving bowl — then wash them all.
The mandoline lives in the drawer because you're scared of it. Correctly. The open blade feels risky, so it stays unused and your slices stay uneven.
The food processor is a commitment, not a convenience. Hauling it out and washing all the parts for one cucumber is why takeout salad keeps winning.
It isn't that you lack discipline.
Nothing you own washes, dries, slices, and serves in one vessel — so every salad costs twenty minutes and six dishes.