Salads & Dressings

Salads Around the World A.Canada – Sweet & Sour combinations, often blended with fruits, veggies, & sometimes meats. B.France – simple salads of mixed greens, best known for their dressings, such as vinegar and oil, mayonnaise, etc.

Salads Around the World C.Spain/Mexico – They often used vegetable combinations as tomatoes, beans, etc.

Salads Around the World D.Italy – Antipasto which are pickled, spiced, smoked foods over lettuce.

Salads Around the World E.US – We are known for the salad bar, also fruit salad and gelatin salad.

Parts of a Salad Base - Greens (are the base of the salad) Body – can be made of fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, poultry, cheese eggs, and macaroni. Dressing – additional flavor – may be French, mayonnaise, or cooked dressing.

Salad Ingredients The most common lettuce in the US is iceberg (least nutritious) Leaf lettuce comes in many varieties such as: –Romaine, escarole, mesclan, arugula, endive, red leaf, bibb, water cress, and more. –They should be washed. To avoid brown edges, never cut. Instead, remember to tear.

Green/Red Leaf lettuce

Iceberg Lettuce

Radicchino

Romaine Lettuce

Spring salad mix = Mesclun = Field greens

Iceberg lettuce preparation 1.Trim – cut off excess outer leaves 2.Core – remove the core 3.Rinse – well with cold water 4. Drain – drain thoroughly 5. Wrap – wrap core side down 6. Chill – chill to crisp the leaves

Salad Ingredients - Vegetables 1.Remember to wash all vegetables first, even if the outer part won’t be used. 2.Ones that are starchy (like potatoes) sometimes need to be cooked first. 3.Some are marinated, which means soaked in a liquid to flavor/tenderize.

Salad Ingredients - Fruits 1.Fresh fruits – some will discolor when cut. To prevent this, coat the cut fruit with lemon juice, fruit fresh (vit. C – ascorbic acid) 2.Canned fruits – these are often found in gelatin salads 3.Frozen fruits – these are not recommended b/c then they thaw, they become mushy.

Salad Ingredients - Protein 1.A large salad with a lot of protein in it is known as an entrée salad. 2.These salads are often bound together with mayonnaise, so be sure to keep them cold to avoid spoilage. 3.Ex.) chicken, tuna, egg, ham salad, as well as grilled chicken or steak

How to make a Tossed Salad A.The ingredients should be bite sized and recognizable. B.Think of the color combinations when adding vegetables. C.For each quart of salad, use only about 3 to 4 Tablespoons of dressing. D.If you put dressing on a salad too early, it will wilt.

How to Make a Gelatin Salad A.Do not use fresh pineapple, kiwi, as the enzymes in these tropical fruits will keep the gelatin from setting.

How to Make a Gelatin Salad B.Make sure you follow directions! C.When you dissolve the gelatin, be sure to use boiling water and keep stirring until the granules are completely dissolved. D.When adding fruit to a gelatin, add it when it is cooled to the thickness of egg whites.

How to Make a Gelatin Salad A.To unmold it, remember to run knife around edge, dip in hot water. B.“Jello jigglers” can be made more healthy by using Knox gelatin & fruit juice.

Salads and Other Tips French fries on top of a salad add many calories and bad fats. Remember that come cheeses are high in fat and calories. Remember never to use raw eggs or undercooked meat.

Fats and Sugars Which nutrients do they supply? –Calories, calories, calories!!!! Try to avoid these ingredients: high fructose corn syrup, saturated and trans fat Remember, it’s the dressing that adds calories. You only need 1 to 2 Tbsp for 2 cups of salad. They average normal dressing has about 80 calories per Tbsp.

Terms for salad preparation Chop – cut into small pieces with a knife or food chopper. Cube – cut into pieces of unifrom size ¼” – ½” cubes. Dice – cut into pieces of uniform size and shape – very small cubes Core – remove the center part of a fruit such as an apple

Terms for salad preparation Grate – rub food against grater to cut in into fine pieces. Julienne – cut into thin, match-like strips Mince – cut or chop into tiny pieces. Pare – pull off outer skin or rind or trim away skin with a vegetable peeler. Cut in – to combine solid fat with flour using a pastry blender

Terms for salad preparation Shred – cut into thin, narrow strips with knife or metal shredder. Slice – cut across into flat pieces. Puree – to put food through a fine sieve or a food mill to form a thick and smooth liquid Chiffonade – to finely slice or shred leafy vegetables or herbs

Terms for salad preparation Brunoise – very small cubes, often cut after a vegetable has been cut julienne Crush – to pulverize Quarter – to cut into four pieces Snip – to cut into small bits with kitchen shears