Preparing Vegetable Salad
Vegetables may not be soaked in water or soap to remove dirt.
Many poskim allow one to rinse vegetables under running water immediately before eating, but other poskim forbid doing so.
Note, however, that washing off dirt is only forbidden for actual, visible dirt; rinsing fruit for hygienic purposes or for invisible germs, etc., is permitted according to all opinions.
Leafy vegetables which are likely to be infested with bugs may not be soaked or rinsed in soapy water on Shabbos, since doing so will likely kill the bugs.
Wet vegetables may be dried with a towel or paper napkin. One should avoid using a salad spinner because doing so might be a violation of boreir.
Vegetables may be peeled only with a knife – not with a peeler.
Vegetables may only be peeled right before mealtime.
If the outer leaves on a head of lettuce are rotten, they may be pulled off and discarded. But if the leaves have already been separated, and mixed together, then it is forbidden to pick out the rotten leaves from the good ones. Rather, one must pick out the good leaves, and it must be done immediately before the meal.
Cutting vegetables into large pieces is permissible. Slices that are extremely thin but are long, or extremely short but are thick, are considered to be large pieces.
It is strictly forbidden to cut up vegetables into very small pieces (diced). But if the salad is being prepared for someone who has difficulty eating larger pieces, e.g., an elderly person or a child, many poskim permit dicing vegetables into small pieces if they are diced immediately before the meal.
References
O.C. 319:8 and Mishnah Berurah 29.
Ketzos Hashulchan 125:7, note 16; Igros Moshe 1:125; Rav S. Z. Auerbach (Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasah 3:22); Ashrei Ha’ish 25:28; Tzitz Eliezer 6:37.
Chazon Ish (oral ruling quoted in Ayil Meshulash, boreir, pg. 176 and Chut Shani 25:6); Minchas Yitzchak 5:38-1; Shevet Halevi 1:52.
Chazon Ish and Igros Moshe quoted in footnotes 125-126.
See Mishnah Berurah 316:42; Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasah 3:40.
Igros Moshe 1:124; Chut Shani 25:2.
Eglei Tal, boreir 6; Ashrei Ha’ish 25:25; Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasah 3:35; Chut Shani 25:2; 25:6; Orchos Shabbos 3:87; Machazeh Eliyahu 1:51. [Although this ruling is the consensus of contemporary poskim and is the prevalent custom, Rav M. Feinstein is reported as having permitted using a peeler on Shabbos.] On Yom Tov, using a peeler is permitted; Minchas Ish, boreir, footnote 196.
Beiur Halachah 321:19 (ה"דףולקל). “Right before mealtime” is explained in the Discussion on Egg and Onions in Korach & Chukas-Balak. (17 & 24 June /01 July 2023) See more details in this and next week’s Discussion dealing with fresh fruit salad.
Beiur Halachah 319:1 (ה"דןמ).
Igros Moshe 4:74, tochein 3; Minchas Shelomo 1:91-13; Chut Shani 12:3.
