My first job out of college was back to food service, yay! I ended up working at a salad bar for several months. There, I learned the ins and out of how to craft a salad. The base, the toppings, the protein and the dressing. Since then, I’ve moved on in my career (read more here), but I still use my salad knowledge to this day. Let’s just say, working in the food industry helped me learn how to make salads fun and delicious.
Here’s a few things that I learned. Let’s take your salad to the next level:
Incorporate Texture
My new job came with a perk, all new employees had the opportunity to taste test the menu. This process helped me discover that different vegetables delivered different flavors as well as textures. I learned that I could create a salad for whichever mood I was in. Carrots and celery gave a nice crunch. Pickled onions and diced jalapenos created flavor and spice. And of course, you can add croutons or even chips to your salad, if you want to mix things up a bit.
If splurging on a pricey salad is out of your budget, pro tip: take a look at the restaurant’s menu, find something that you’d like to try, take note of the ingredients and replicate the receipt at home.
Think Outside of the Box
During my time in food service, I experienced customers ordering classic food combinations as well as unique combinations, depending on the customers desired flavor palette. Customers would mix and match ingredients to create unique dishes.
Fun Fact: Kale is super dry. Because Kale easily repels water, kale tastes better massaged with olive oil, drizzled with lemon and topped with salt and pepper to create “marinated kale.”
Trust me, you can put anything in a salad, such as herbs or seasoning, for extra flavor. One of my favorite salads is a Korean inspired salad full of red cabbage, spinach, green onion and bulgogi.
Don’t Make it into a Salad
Yep, that’s right. If you are not into salads, that is okay. You can still sneak your vegetables into your pastas, soups or stir fries. Tell us your favorite salad receipt in the comments below. Happy creating.
