A salad spinner has a hub connected in a rotary driving relationship to a colander mounted within the salad spinner for rotation about an axis of rotation. A brake provides braking force to the hub coaxially with the colander axis of rotation. The brake includes a spring-loaded button located coaxially with the colander axis of rotation and an actuation element between the button and the hub for applying coaxial, linear force from the button to the hub for braking. A drive plate is connected in a rotary driving relationship to the hub, and the button is constrained for co-rotation with the drive plate and linear motion relative the drive plate.