Parts of a salad

Any successful salad will contain four basic parts: base, body, dressing and garnish. Each part is extremely important in salad preparation.

If just one part is omitted or done poorly, the finished product will suffer

Base

The base usually consists of as salad green such as leaf, romaine, head or Bibb lettuce. It can be eaten, but in most cases guests will choose to leave it on the plate or in the bowl. The main purpose of the base is to keep the plate or bowl from looking bare and to provide color contrast to the body

Body

The body is the main part of the salad, the part that should be given the most attention. The type of salad determines the kind or kinds of ingredients used. The body should be prepared by the rules of good salad preparation

Dressing

A dressing is usually served with every type of salad. It adds flavor, provides food value, helps digestion, improves palatability and in some cases acts as a garnish

Garnish

The main purpose of a garnish is to add eye appeal to the finished product, but in some cases it may even improve the form or enhance the taste. The garnish may be a part of the basic salad ingredients, or it may be an additional item that will blend with and complement the body.

The garnish should be simple. It should attract the diner’s attention without being distracting and it should help stimulate the appetite

Types of salads

Salads may be grouped according to the foods from which they are made or according to the way they are used in a meal. The following salad groupings reflect different categories of main ingredients: green, fruit, poultry, egg, vegetable, meat fish and gelatin. The following groupings reflect different uses within the meal: accompaniment, appetizer, entrée and dessert

Accompaniment salads

Salads are most frequently used as an accompaniment to a main course of meat, poultry, fish or casserole. These are light, small salads that stimulate the appetite. Salad greens, tart fruits and combinations of raw vegetables may be used in tossed salads, for example. You may prefer to use raw fruits and vegetables in your salads because of their crisp texture. However, cooked or canned fruits and vegetables offer variety and make suitable accompaniment salads. Other possibilities include gelatin salads with fruits or vegetables added

Entrée and combination salads

Cold salads have become very popular on luncheon menus, especially among nutrition- and diet- conscious diners. The appeal of these salads is in their variety and freshness of ingredients.

· Entrée salads should be large enough to serve as a full meal and should contain a substantial portion of protein. Meat, poultry and seafood salads, as well as egg salad and cheese, are popular choices.

· they should offer enough variety on the plate to constitute a balanced meal

· The portion size and variety of ingredients give the chef an excellent opportunity to apply imagination and creativity to produce attractive, appetizing salad plates. Attractive arrangements and good color balance are important

Fruit salads

A fruit salad is any salad in which fruit predominates. It is generally composed of cut or section fruit, served separately or combined. Berries of many varieties are sometimes added to enhance flavor and add color.

Congealed salads

A congealed salad is any salad that contains gelatin that holds it together. Gelatin comes in three primary forms:

1. Clear unflavored gelatin comes in either powder or leaves. The leaves look like heavy plastic film. Good quality powdered gelatin has a softness and sheen referred to as bloom

2. Fruit-flavored gelatin comes in powdered form and in assorted flavors under many familiar brand names. It contains sugar as well as color and flavor

3. Aspic is a powdered meat-flavored gelatin. It is usually beef flavored, but it also comes in fish and poultry flavors. Dissolve the powder in very hot water, and then cool. The end product of all gelatins is a jellied substance that forms when the mixture is cold. Many fruits, vegetables and other foods can be added to the gelatin as it begins to jell.

Salad ingredients:

Salad greens:

Iceberg, romaine, Boston, Bibb, loose-leaf, escarole, chicory, curly endive, Belgian endive, Chinese cabbage, spinach, watercress, dandelion greens

Raw vegetables:

Cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, kohlrabi, mushrooms, onions, scallions, red peppers, green peppers, radishes, tomatoes.prep.vegetables: artichoke hearts, asparagus, beans (all kinds), beets, carrots, cauliflower, pickles, hearts of palm, leeks, olives, peas, roasted peppers, pimentos, potatoes, water chestnuts

Starches:

Dried beans, potatoes, macaroni, products, rice, bread (croutons)

Fruits:

Apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, berries, cherries, coconut, dates, figs, grapes, grapefruit, kiwi, mangos, melons, oranges, papayas, peaches, pears, pineapple, raisins

Principle of salad preparation:

1. Prepare all ingredients. Wash and cut greens. Prepare cooked vegetables. Cut all fruits, vegetables and garnishes. Mix bound and marinated salads (egg salad, potato salad, three beans salad, etc). have all ingredients chilled

2. Arrange salad plates on work tables. Line them up on trays for easy transferring to cooler

3. Place bases or underlinders on all plates

4. Arrange body of salad on all plates

5. Garnish all salads

6. Refrigerate until service. Do not hold more than a few hours or salad will wilt. HOLDING BOXES SHOULD HAVE HIGH HUMIDITY

7. Do not add dressing to green salads until service, or they will wilt

Procedures for salad preparation:

1. Wash greens thoroughly. Remove the core from the head lettuce by striking it gently against the side of the sink and twisting it out. Cut through the cores of other greens, or separate the leaves so that all traces of grit can be removed. Wash in several changes of cold water until completely clean. For iceberg lettuce, run cold water into the core end (after removing core), and then invert the to the drain

2. Drain greens well. Lift greens from the water and drain in a colander. Tools and machines are available to spin-dry greens quickly. Poor draining results in a watered-down dressing and a soupy, soggy, salad.

3. Crisp the greens. Refrigerate them in a colander covered with damp towels or in a perforated storage bin to allow air circulation and complete drainage

Salad terms:

Appetizer salad:

A salad served before a meal

Body:

The bottom layer of a salad

Core:

The center of a head of lettuce or a piece of fruit

Crispness:

Crunchy, fresh texture or condition of greens

Dessert salad:

A light, usually sweet salad served after a meal

Dressing:

A liquid or semi-liquid sauce for salads

Durable greens:

Greens that do not bruise easily

Entrée salad:

A large salad served as the main course of a meal

Fragile salad:

Delicate greens that bruise easily

Garnish:

A small, colorful piece of food that is place on a salad for contrast of color, texture and taste

Gelatin:

A thickening agent used to make molded salads

Greens:

Leafy green vegetables

Julienne:

To cut into long thin strips

Mise en place:

Set up, in place, of all ingredients, materials and utensils needed for the preparation of a certain food

Rust:

A reddish color that forms on greens that have been bruised

Salad:

A combination of cooked or uncooked foods served with dressing

Side salad:

A salad that is served with an entrée and complements the taste and texture of the entrée

Wilted:

Limp or droopy condition of greens

Fruit terms:

Ascorbic acid:

A substance used to prevent cut fruit from discoloring

Citrus:

The name of the fruit group to which oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes belong

Hull:

To remove the stems and leaves from berries

Membrane:

The tough, thin layer of skin separating the segments of citrus fruits

Parisienne:

A Mellon baller

Pit:

A stone-like plant seed

Poach:

To simmer briefly in slightly bubbling liquid

Prunes:

Dried plums

Raisins:

Dried grapes

Tropical fruits:

Fruits grown in a warm climate

Salad dressings

Salad dressings are liquids or semi-liquids used to enhance salads. Sometimes considered cold sauces, they serve the same functions as sauces: they flavor, moisten and enrich. Most of the basic salad dressings used today can be divided into three categories:

1. Oil and vinegar dressings

2. Mayonnaise-based dressings

3. Cooked dressings

There are also a number of dressings whose main ingredients include such products as sour cream, yogurt and fruit juices. Many of these are designed especially for fruit salads or low-calorie diets

Salad dressing terms:

Acid:

A salad dressing ingredient, usually a vinegar or citrus juice

Bender:

An ingredient added to a salad dressing to keep the mixture from separating

Boiled dressing:

Salad dressing that is cooked

Emulsion:

In a salad dressing, the condition produced when suspended particles of oil are scattered through the mixture of seasonings and acid liquid

French dressing:

A temporary emulsion dressing made from oil, vinegar or citrus juice and seasoning

Permanent emulsion:

A dressing in which the ingredients will not separate but will remain in suspension

Temporary emulsion:

A dressing in which the ingredients will separate if the dressing is allowed to stand for a time

Thousand Island dressing:

A dressing made be adding chili sauce, sweet pickle relish and chopped hard-cooked eggs to mayonnaise base

Vinegar:

A sour, acid liquid made from fermenting fruit juices or distilled alcohol

Wine vinegar:

A vinegar that is made from fermented grape juice

Yolk: The yellow part of an egg