2 Chef-Approved Tips For Making Perfectly Dressed Salads

All "sad desk" connotations aside, salads offer a plethora of ways to mix and match all the expected (or surprising!) vegetables with all manner of protein, fruit, dairy, and other complementary accoutrements. Whether you're just starting to level up your salad game, or you're a seasoned pro, the salad's penultimate moment — when it's dressed just before it's enjoyed — can be its most puzzling. Taylor Hester, executive chef of Roscioli NYC, huddled exclusively with Chowhound to share a duo of must-dos for properly dressing all those studiously selected and meticulously prepared ingredients. Hester shared the tips in advance of his involvement with the food rescue nonprofit City Harvest's fall tasting event, BID 2024: CHTV!, scheduled to take place at The Glasshouse in Manhattan on Tuesday, October 29, 2024. The event aims to help New Yorkers in need of nutritional aid. 

For Hester, how you treat your greens is key. "I think being considerate of your vehicle is the most important part. For salads, that means putting a lot of thought into what leaf you are using," he says. "Kale salads, for instance, can be dressed up 30 minutes before serving. Arugula, radicchio, and spinach all lose crispness quickly and should be dressed right before serving." Of course, it isn't just your leaf choice that affects how your salad should be dressed.

Besides considering your greens, Taylor Hester also notes that having the right tools is crucial. "For the most even distribution of dressing, salads should be tossed in a metal mixing bowl," he says. Often used in food service operations, metal bowls are less porous and slicker than something like wood, which can also be a bit harder to clean and maintain. Metal bowls like the largest of this set from Vollrath will help you achieve the optimum dressing-to-veggie balance. That's just one reason why salads often seem to just taste better in restaurants, and there is even more hope for home cooks. Whether you run your items through a spinner or lay them flat on paper towels, eliminating as much moisture as possible will also keep you from diluting that carefully calibrated dressing. 

Homemade dressing is ideal, too, whether you're giving your Caesar a spicy kick or whipping up a classic vinaigrette with the peak ratio of oil to vinegar for the hundredth time. Be careful not to wilt your greens with steaming proteins, either. If you're topping, say, a lovely pile of frisée with a portion of chicken paillard, let the bird rest for a minute rather than adding it on piping hot. And finally, salad's literal dish, like many of life's pleasures, is best served cold. So go ahead and chill those salad plates and bowls in the refrigerator before serving.