How to Make a Salad
When I went to college, my new roommate would grab a salad from the salad bar and come back to the table with a second bowl; they were both plastic. She would then put the second bowl on top of the salad and shake the mixture to disperse the dressing so that it coated everything. I never thought much of this before culinary school, but it was genius. (Back in the early ’90s, the salad bar was a terrible combination of watery iceberg and canned vegetables, so I didn’t look very long at the salad bar.)
When you make salads in a good restaurant, the pantry cook will toss your salad with dressing in a giant mixing bowl, put in on the plate, add a few garnishes to make it look pretty, and it should come to your table perfectly. Unfortunately, this is harder than it seems, and I understand why people don’t trust the pantry chef to put on the right amount of dressing.
But trying to stir dressing and salad in the serving bowl at the table is just wrong.
So let’s make a salad.
Bagged lettuce at the grocery store has revolutionized the salad for many eaters. And if it helps you eat more vegetables, I can’t complain.
Here are a few things you should know.
If you buy a bag of cut lettuce, like iceberg or romaine, they package it in the bag with a modified atmosphere. This process slows the oxidation, or browning, of the lettuce, by pumping in nitrogen and carbon dioxide, removing the oxygen. When you open the bag, oxygen rushes in, and the oxidation process starts very quickly.
Buy a bag that you will use in one sitting. It will spoil in a day or two after opening.
The baby lettuce mixes use a different method, but they still have a short shelf life, just about 6-7 days from the moment they are picked. Check the expiration dates on the bag to make sure you can eat it in time.
Cleaning whole heads of lettuce
Since I get my produce from the farm and have the skills to chop up a head of lettuce quickly, I have to tell you that the key to eating whole heads of lettuce is a salad spinner.
The Salad Spinner
Dry lettuce makes the best salad because the water doesn’t dilute the dressing. As a young home chef, I would use a copious amount of paper towels to dry my lettuce, but when paper towels went out of fashion, I gave up and made the commitment to the spinner.
I hate owning lots of gadgets, but I finally decided to give up eating so much dirt and reluctantly purchased one at 40 years old. (I still eat plenty more dirt than an average human.)
I own an Oxo Good Grips model. They are about $30, and it works.
(If you’re not ready to commit, and I do understand, try using clean cloth towels to dry your lettuce instead of all the paper. You have to wash the towels, but it works.)
How to wash lettuce with a salad spinner
- Cut your lettuce.
- Put it in the colander bowl inside the outer container.
- Fill it with water, so the lettuce is submerged.
- Swish the lettuce around.
- Pull the colander up out of the water.
- Try to find a deserving plant to discard the water, but it’s okay to throw it down the drain. (If you get your lettuce direct from the farm you might need to repeat this step.)
- Then, spin the lettuce with the spinner a few times, removing the excess water each time.
Your lettuce is now dry and ready for dressing.
The Simplest Recipes to Make Your Own Dressings
If my first mission in life is for you to know where your food comes from, my second mission is to get people to stop buying food products in the middle of the grocery store. So let’s start with the easiest ones to make, salad dressing. And it’s not just easy, it tastes better, and it’s better for you, and it’s cheaper.
Please try making your own dressing.
To simplify making vinaigrette dressing, make it in a jar, and shake to combine. When you mix it with your salad, start with a small amount of dressing, toss everything together, taste, add a little more dressing, if needed, and add salt and pepper to your liking.
Dress your salad as close to the time of eating as possible.
Thoroughly mix your salad with dressing before you serve it to anyone, including yourself.
Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon Dijon or whole grain mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice, apple cider, sherry, balsamic, red or white wine vinegar
- 6-8 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
In a jar, combine the minced garlic, Dijon mustard, salt, black pepper, and vinegar, shake well. Add the oil and shake again. Add additional oil or vinegar to your taste. Pour over your salad or drizzle over roasted vegetables.
Since I can’t leave out everyone’s favorite, you can make this one too.
Secret Ranch Dressing (There is no secret; everyone can make this with just a few ingredients.)
- ½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt or buttermilk
- ½ mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon dry powdered/granulated garlic or 1 garlic clove minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Combine all the ingredients and let sit for 30 minutes, if possible.
If you have too much lettuce
I’ve made a creamy lettuce soup, purposely to use up a lot of lettuce, but I can’t recommend it here.
The only practical way to save extra lettuce is to freeze it and add it to smoothies.
Enjoy your best salad
A salad won’t change your life, but if you make it better, you can learn to love your vegetables.
Buy fresh bagged lettuce at the store, by looking at the expiration dates and using it right away.
If you have whole heads of lettuce, wash it with a salad spinner to get it as dry as possible.
Make your own dressing.
And mix your salad with the dressing before you put it in on the plate.
Maybe next time, I’ll get to write about using only fresh ground black pepper, but this is enough for today.