Sep 11
14
Be a Better Cook: Make Fantastic Salads
I am a salad snob. I love them enough to eat one at every meal. But a poorly made salad is just as disappointing to me as, say, an overcooked steak or soggy French fries. On the flip side, a well-made salad is as great of a culinary achievement as handmade tortellini or a the perfect fried chicken.
Salads are so simple, so quick, and yet so easy to get wrong. Really?… you ask… But it’s just lettuce, vegetables, and dressing! For many people, a typical homemade salad consists of some torn lettuce, cherry tomatoes, a sliced cucumber, and whatever else is lying in the fridge. Once it’s topped with a store-bought goopy salad dressing, they’ll plop it down in the middle of the table, and everyone eats some out of obligation. After all, the salad is never the star. Sound familiar?
Well, that’s about to change. Once you start making salads properly, you’ll begin to wow people. Or at least you’ll impress yourself, and that’s a start. Your salads can and will be impressive.
There are three basic principles to proper salad preparation:
- Choose the right lettuce. I prefer spring mix (or “mixed greens”) if I am using any type delicate fruit such as berries, smaller, lighter chunks of vegetables, and a light vinaigrette. Spinach, in my opinion, should always be mixed with another type of green to offset its tougher, rubbery texture. If you are partial to plain spinach, only use the delicate baby lea
ves; the larger ones are best when cooked. Romaine is fantastic if you want a nice crunchy salad, or need a sturdy lettuce to support heavier ingredients. Romaine can also withstand heavier, creamy dressings. (Note: If you use romaine lettuce, please chop it into ½ to ¾ inchpieces. Picture the awkwardness of trying to finagle a large piece of romaine into your mouth.) If you like to add a little oomph to the lettuce itself, try mixing in some bitter greens such as arugula or radicchio.
- Chop your ingredients into half-bite-size pieces. One should never have to use a knife to cut things in their salad. (Ever chase that pesky cherry tomato around the plate before you’re able to stab it with your fork?) And now, for the most important rule in making a salad: Always coat your vegetables and fruits in the salad dressing before tossing in the lettuce. This includes everything except nuts and soft cheeses such as feta. Your pretty kaleidoscope of dry ingredients, which once sat on top of lettuce in the bowl, will now be mixed into the lettuce, resutlting in a delicious, better-tasting salad. If you’d like to save your presentation, save a third of the pre-dressed fruits & veggies to sprinkle on top of your salad along with any remaining nuts,
seeds, and soft cheeses.
You can still use this method if you intend to prepare your salad in advance. Chop all of your ingredients and combine. Chop your lettuce, if needed, and store separately. Just before serving, coat your toppings with the dressing and then toss with the lettuce. You want each leaf to be lightly coated, with no additional dressing pooled at the bottom of the salad bowl. It’s best to dress the salad yourself just before serving, to ensure that all flavors mingle well via your dressing. When many eaters pour dressing over their own salads, the top layer tends to be overdressed, while the bottom layers are underdressed or dry.
- Speaking of dressing, I absolutely insist that any home cook use homemade salad dressings. Even the best quality pre-made dressings have nowhere near the quality of texture and flavor of homemades. You’ll need to have some neutral-tasting oil (I use grapeseed or canola), vinegar (apple cider or white wine type), and a food processor or blender on hand. The rest is up to your imagination. Once you realize how easy it is to whip up your own delicious dressing, you’ll never buy Wishbone again.
Using all raw vegetables? After tossing them with your dressing, try adding some goat cheese or avocado for creaminess.
