Salads & Dressings

Definitions Salad –Combination of raw or cooked ingredients –Served cold or warm –Usually coated with a salad dressing or served with dressing on the side Croutons –Small pieces of bread made crisp by baking or sautéing with seasonings

Purpose of Salads Adds Many Benefits to our Diet –Nutrition –Color –Texture –Variety as an appetizer, main course, or dessert –Unique flavor combinations

Types of Salads Vegetable –Coleslaw, Potato Salad, Caesar Salad Fruit –Ambrosia, Waldorf, Frozen Fruit Salads Cooked Grains –Pasta Salad, Polynesian Rice Salad, Tabbouleh (Bulgur) Protein –Chef’s Salad, Bean Salad Molded –Thickened with gelatin (animal collagen protein)

Molded Salads Gelatin is a common ingredient –Gummy bears, marshmallows, yogurt Plain or flavored Flavored –Dissolve gelatin in boiling water –Dilute & chill to create a gell –Add additional foods before it is set –Place in mold & refrigerate –To unmold, dip in warm water, release edge with knife point, invert on platter

Salad Greens Main ingredient of many salads Base on which salads are placed Deeper colors are higher in nutrients Select greens –Free from brown spots called rust –Crisp not limp Cleaning –Wash, drain,& refrigerate in tight container –Salad Spinner helps in the draining process –Enzymatic browning results from using metal utensils

Types of Salad Greens Mild Greens Spicy Greens Bitter Greens Iceberg, Boston, Bibb, Romaine, Spinach, Leaf Lettuce, Butterhead Arugula, Mustard Leaves, Watercress Radicchio, Curly Endive, Escarole

Salad Dressings Vinaigrettes –Vegetable oil, vinegar or lemon juice, & seasonings –Temporary emulsion –Catalina dressing, Italian dressing Mayonnaise –Beat egg yolks, beat oil in gradually, whip seasonings in –Permanent emulsion –Use pasteurized eggs

Salad Dressings cont’d Cooked Dressings –Flour or cornstarch is used to create permanent emulsion –Traditional German potato salad with hot bacon dressing –Commercially prepared mayonnaise Dairy Dressings –Buttermilk, yogurt, sour cream, or cottage cheese with seasonings –Ranch Dressing