Lesson 2

Preparing a Variety of Salads and Dressings

An appetizing salad contains four basic parts, the base, body, dressing, and garnish.
Each part is extremely important in salad preparation. If a part is not properly done
or omitted, success in preparing salad is not attained.

The main components of salads are as follows:

Base – Consisting of greens, such as leaves, romaine head of bibb lettuce. In most
cases, these greens are left on the plate as a bowl. The base keeps the plate or bowl
from looking bare and provides color in contrast with the body.
Body – This is the main part of the salad. It should be given the most attention. The
type to be served determines the kinds of ingredients to be used. Ingredients should
be well- chosen and arranged. The body should be prepared according to the rules
of good salad preparation.
Dressing – This is usually served with every type of salad. It adds flavor, provides good
value, helps digestion, improves palatability, and also serves as a garnish. The dressing
may be acid-based as a vinaigrette or fatty as a mayonnaise-based dressing.
Garnish – The purpose of the garnish is to add eye appeal to the finished product
and to stimulate the diner's appetite. It improves the form and enhances the taste
of the salad. The garnish is part of the basic ingredients of a salad and also an
additional item to blend with and complement the body. The garnish should be
simple and should attract the diner's attention.
Salad Ingredients
Vegetables – Some vegetables used in salads are beets, cauliflower, broccoli, carrot,
cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes, olives, onions, sprouts, and avocado.
Lettuce – Iceberg lettuce or romaine are usually used in salads.
Fruits – Apples, grapes, pineapples, pears, coconuts, papayas, mangoes, cherries
peaches, and lychees.
Meat – Sliced ham, crumbled bacon, or shredded chicken.
Beans – Black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, or black-eyed peas.
Seeds/Nuts – Sesame seeds, walnuts, almonds, or sunflower seeds.
Cheese – Parmesan cheese, fresh mozzarella, etc.
Dressing/Flavoring – Olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and mayonnaise-based
dressing.
Other Toppings – Boiled eggs, chopped fresh herbs, or croutons.

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Preparing Salads
Important Considerations in Salad Preparation
The following are important considerations in salad preparation.
 Select the best ingredients. The freshness of vegetables and fruits is very
important for quality salad. Wash vegetables or fruits in cold water. Drain in a
colander.
 Cut or tear vegetables/fruits accordingly (cubes, strips, or threadlike). Have
them chilled. Keep them in a colander covered with a damp towel or
perforated storage bin to allow air circulation and complete drainage, this will
keep the greens crisp.
 Mix the bound and marinated salads like egg potato salad, bean salad on
the plate. Garnish the salad.
 Refrigerate until service. Do not hold more than an hour, for the salad will wilt.
 Serve salad with dressing
apart. Procedure in Preparing Different
Salads Greens Salads
1. Wash greens thoroughly with cold water and drain well.
2. Refrigerate in a colander covered with a damp towel to stay crisp and crunchy.
3. Cut or tear into bite-size pieces. When cutting, use a sharp stainless steel knife.
4. Mix the greens or toss gently. Green pepper cut into strips or shredded carrots
may be mixed with the greens.
5. Plate the salads. In plating, use cold plates. Never use the plates from the
dishwater. Never plate the salad an hour or two before the service for they will
wilt or dry.
6. Add garnish.
7. Refrigerate until service.
8. Dress the salad before serving or serve the dressing on the side.
Vegetable Salads
1. Cut vegetables as close to the serving time to prevent dryness and shrivel of
the edges. They should be cut nearly and accurately and consider the shapes for it
adds to eye appeal.
2. When cooking vegetables, do not overcook it. Cooked vegetables should have a
crisp and firm texture and good color. Drain well and chill before being included
in a salad.
3. Vegetables are sometimes marinated or soaked in a seasoned liquid, before
being made into a salad. A marinade is a form of oil and vinegar dressing,
which is used also as a salad dressing. Marinated salads should not be plated
ahead of time because the base used will wilt.
Fruit Salads
1. Fruit salads are not mixed or tossed, but they are arranged because fruits are
delicate and easily broken.
2. In the case of broken pieces of fruits, they should be placed at the bottom of

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the salad and have the attractive pieces arranged on top.

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 3. Some fruits like apples and bananas usually discolor when cut, so they should
be dipped into acid as calamansi juice or pineapple juice.
4. In preparing both, vegetable salads should be prepared first than fruits, because
fruits do not hold as well as vegetables do after being cut.
5. Canned fruits should be drained well before including them in the salad to avoid
salad from being watery and sloppy. Reserve the liquid for use in fruit salad
dressing or other preparations.
Salad Dressing
Salad dressing serves as a sauce in a salad. It is liquid or semi-liquid in form, used
to enhance the flavor of a salad. They make salads moist and enriched.
Most of the basic salad dressing used is categorized into:
 Vinaigrette – This is a combination of oil, vinegar, and seasoning. Vinaigrette
is mostly unthickened dressing. The oil, vinegar, and seasoning are mixed
vigorously until the flavor and texture are attained. It is usually served as a
base for other dressings. The ratio of oil to vinegar is 3 parts to 1 part vinegar.
This is commonly known as basic French dressing.
 Mayonnaise-Based Dressing – This is generally thick and creamy. It is the most
important emulsified dressing, commonly used in dressing the salad. It is made
from oil, vinegar, egg yolk, lemon juice, and seasonings.
 Emulsified French Dressing – This is similar to basic French dressing except for
an addition of egg yolk to keep the oil and vinegar from separating. The egg
yolk serves as an emulsifier. Whipping or mixing vigorously the oil and vinegar
creates an emulsion. To prevent oil and vinegar from separating and to
stabilize the emulsion, egg yolk is added. Aside from egg yolk, other emulsifying
agents used are gums, starches, and gelatine.
Ingredients Used in Salad Dressing
Most salad dressings are made of oil, acid, and other ingredients to modify its flavor
and texture.
Oil – Oil used in salad dressing can be chosen from a great variety such as; corn oil,
it has a light golden color and very little taste as of cornmeal type flavor. It is widely
used in dressings. Soybean oil, cottonseed oil, and safflower oil are flavorless oils
and they are bland. Olive oil has a very distinctive fruity flavor and aroma and
somewhat genuine in color. It is called virgin oil for it is made from the first pressing of
the olives. Olive oil is used in specialty salad such as Caesar salad. Walnut oil is a
highly-priced oil with a distinctive flavor. It is occasionally used for the salad.
Hazelnut oil is sometimes used.
Vinegar – Vinegar is also available in different varieties. Cider vinegar is made from
apples. It is brown and has a slightly sweet apple-like taste. White or distilled
vinegar is purified and has a neutral flavor. Wine vinegar may be red or white with
the wine flavor. White wine vinegar is mostly used rather than red wine vinegar
because it gives a muddy color to the dressing. Flavored kinds of vinegar are
modified by adding garlic or tarragon. Specialty kinds of vinegar are used for

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their distinctive

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 flavors. They are malt vinegar, sherry vinegar, and raspberry vinegar which
are rarely available in the commercial kitchen.
Seasonings and Flavorings – Herbs and spices can be used in salad dressing
but they need extra time to release their flavor if they are not heated in
the product. The majority of the seasonings and flavorings used in salad
dressing are mustard, catsup, Worcestershire sauce, and different kinds of
cheese.

Suggested Salad Recipe:

Pineapple-Buko Salad
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh (young coconut, shredded)
2 cups pineapple tidbits (drained)
1 cup kaong (sugar palm, boiled until tender)
1 can lychee (cut into halves)

Dressing:
1 can condensed
milk 2 egg yolks

Procedure:
1. Boil kaong until tender.
2. Prepare the dressing by cooking condensed milk and egg yolk over the double
boiler. Stir continuously until thick. Let it cool.
3. Blend buko, pineapple, kaong, lychee, and dressing.
4. Place in a bowl. Garnish with cherries.
5. Chill and serve cold.