1.) Tall - when making a salad, think tall.

Tall could mean piling leafy greens in a high,

airy pile. It can also mean a ramekin or bowl that is taller than it is wide. It can also
include putting a wonderful Apple Waldorf Salad in a tall glass. Tall is tall!

2) WIDE - With salads, a big plate helps them spread out wide so you get a lot of
"goodies" on the top. This can be good for a platter that you are serving at a party - and
also for a fun presentation, too. In this particular arrangement for our Spring Salad, we
chose a large square platter and topped our salad with fruits and toasted nuts.

3) Patterns – usually use a spiral pattern but you can also line things up diagonally,
horizontally or even in a scattered fashion

4) Framed - it is good to frame your salad with chips, lettuce, tomatoes, etc. In this
Taco Crunch Salad, just 5 chips (less than half of a serving) make the taco salad more
appetizing and provide a contrasting crunch and toasted corn flavor.
5) Fans - if you fan veggies over the top you get an interesting look as we did with this
Asian Slaw. We used snow peas but you could fan thinly sliced veggies like carrots or
bell peppers, too.

6) Cups, bowls, plates, platters - you can use a variety of interesting bowls, dishes
and ramekins to create visual interest and to complement the food. Think of your
serving ware as a canvas for your creation! We LOVE white plates - you can never go
wrong with a white plate. Plates that are too busy (think old-fashioned flowered china)
detract from the food. Here is our Asian Broccoli Sesame Salad in a cup:

7) Cascade - this Pasta Shrimp Salad, made with whole wheat penne, cascades off the
greens - the greens are shredded finely.

8) Citrus - I believe that a small wedge of lemon, lime or an orange that is squeezed
over a salad adds a lot of flavor without adding sodium and fat. See the salad above -
the tiny squeezable bits of lemon is meant to go with the Shrimp Pasta Salad.

9) Drizzle - this technique is used over and over in cooking and desserts - you drizzle
the sauce over the top in a fine stream as we have done with the balsamic vinegar
glaze over this Spinach Walnut Salad. Balsamic vinegar glazes are growing in
popularity and available in almost any grocery store. You can also drizzle any dressing.

10) Molds - this is always fun with couscous in our Lemon Couscous Salad - you mold
it in a scoop or bowl and invert it onto the plate. Molding adds a precise shape and it
looks more enticing to eat a carefully molded grain versus spilling it all over the plate.
This method would also work with tabouleh, quinoa, or rice.

11) Color - fruits, and vegetables add the most wonderful colors so use lots of them to
balance color and flavor. Consider using a Japanese mandolin to finely shave the
vegetables so they are more palatable like we did with the carrots and candy cane
beets in this fresh salad. Check out the image below to see the translucency of
vegetables that are finely shaved on a Japanese mandolin and with a sharp French
knife.

12) Spritz and shine - normally chefs add a brush of butter or a spray of oil to foods to
make them shiny.