No more sad salads here! Salad season is upon us, and our Fresh Start Recipe Developer, Amber Agria, is here to help get you through to make your salads rock.
Here are her top tips!
Mandolin
I LOVE my mandolin. Mine is quite a simple one (though you can find very fancy ones) and has 3 settings for slicing thinly and then also converts to slice matchsticks. Think slaw in minutes, carrot matchsticks in seconds and it’s also ideal for quickly slicing potatoes thinly for a dreamy potato bake in winter. Be careful when using, though! They are very sharp so we recommend using the guard or a glove.
Microplane
I must admit the micro plane in my house mostly gets used for grating Parmesan extra fine all over a pasta. But these are also ideal for grating things like garlic and ginger super fine, which is especially great for a punchy Asian style honey soy dressing to toss through a vermicelli noodle salad!
Speed peeler
Every house needs a speed peeler and once you try one of these, I reckon you’ll never go back! A speed peeler is just a peeler but it’s easier to hold and sharp which makes a mundane task like peeling potatoes a breeze! It’s ideal for peeling things like carrot, cucumber, or courgette into ribbons for a stunning salad. They’re also quite sharp, so be careful!
A little jar for shaking dressings in
Reusing a small jar for a quick dressing making tool is perfect for summer! Not only is it easy to whip up a dressing you can also transfer said dressing in the jar to take with you and your salad to your next summer BBQ. This way you’re not pre dressing a salad and burning you greens before anyone eats it!
An easy recipe to follow for a medium size salad would be; 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1½ Tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tsp Dijon or wholegrain mustard and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add all of this to your jar, top with a lid and give it a vigorous shake. Add a dash of honey if you like a little sweetness in your life.
Always wash your greens!
You need to make sure you’re not ending up with any visible OR invisible friends in your salad. I’ve had a white tail come out of an iceberg lettuce while washing before! I am scared of spiders tho this was not a good time – but lucky he didn’t end up on my plate…
Salad spinner
And following on from washing your greens, although this tool is not essential, it’s great to have as you can store your leaves nicely once washed and spun, or they are nice and dry ready to toss in a salad. If you try and dress wet leaves the dressing won’t stick, and you’ll end up with a bland, watery salad.
Storing salad greens
Once washed and spun, store greens in a large container lined with a damp (not wet) paper towel. Covered with a lid. Pick out any bruised or damaged leaves as these will start affecting the other leaves!
Storing herbs
Herbs are a great addition to a salad and bring SO much flavour! A great way to store your herbs once picked is to pop them in a little jar with a bit of water in the bottom. You can then store then in the fridge like a wee vase of flowers. You just want to make sure that just the stalks are in the water. You don’t want any leaves touching the water as they will wilt.
Seed sprinkle
Lastly, I love to pimp up a salad with some punchy little seeds! I mix together a bunch of pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds and toast them lightly in a pan for 1-2 minutes. Once fragrant I add a dash of soy sauce, toss and remove from the heat. I let them cool and then keep in a jar in the fridge! They are then ready and waiting to be sprinkled over my next salad. It always surprises me how much flavour and crunch they bring!
We hope these help!
