SALADS

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of this session the student will
know the following.
1. Define salads
2. Types of salads
3. The categories of salads
4. Guidelines for salads
5. Salad bars and buffet service
DEFINITION OF SALADS
Salads are a category of dishes whose prototype is raw
vegetables served with a sauce or dressing including oil and an
acid as a light savory dish, with a minimum of three ingredients.
Salads also include a variety of related dishes, including ones
with cold cooked vegetables, including grains and pasta; ones
which add cold meat or seafood; sweet dishes made of cut-up
fruit; and even warm dishes. Though the prototypical salad is
light, a dinner salad can constitute a complete meal.
Green salads include leaf lettuce and leafy vegetables with a
sauce or dressing. Most salads are served cold, although some,
such as south German potato salad, are served warm.
Salads are generally served with a dressing, as well as various
garnishes such as nuts or croutons, and sometimes with the
addition of meat, fish, pasta, cheese, eggs, or whole grains.
 TYPES OF SALADS

1. Appetizer Salads

2. Accompaniment Salads

3. Main Course Salads

4. Separate-Course Salads

5. Dessert Salads

 APPETIZER SALADS
Appetizer salads should stimulate the appetite with
fresh, crisp ingredients; a tangy, flavourful
dressing; an attractive, appetizing appearance.
The portion size should not be too large but
substantial enough to serve as a complete course.
The combination of ingredients should be
interesting, not dull or trite eg. Cheese, ham,
salami, shrimp and crabmeat in small quantities
add eye appeal.
Attractive arrangement and garnish are important
to stimulate the appetite.
ACCOMPANIMENT SALADS
Accompaniment salads are served with
the main course.
Accompaniment salads must balance and
harmonize with the rest of the meal.
Should be light and flavourful, not too
rich. Eg. Vegetable salads are good
choices.
Combination salads with a variety of
elements are appropriate accompaniments
to sandwiches.
 MAIN-COURSE SALADS
Main-course salads should be large enough to
serve as a full meal and should contain a
substantial portion of protein eg. Meat, poultry
and seafood salads, eggs and cheese.
Main-course salads should offer enough variety
on the plate to form a balanced meal, both
nutritionally and in flavours and textures. In
addition to the protein, a variety of vegetables,
greens and/or fruits should be offered.
Attractive arrangements and good balance are
important.
SEPARATE-COURSE SALADS
Many fine restaurants serve a refreshing
light salad after the main course. The
purpose is to cleanse the palate after a rich
dinner and to refresh the appetite and
provide a pleasant break before dessert.
Separate-course salads must be very light
with a few delicate greens lightly dressed
with vinaigrette. Fruit salads are popular
choices.
 DESSERT SALADS
Dessert salads are usually sweet and may
contain items such as fruits, sweetened
gelatin, nuts and cream.
Dessert salads are best served as a dessert
or part of a buffet or party menu.
INGREDIENTS USED IN SALADS
1. Salad Greens- 4. Starches- potatoes,
iceberg lettuce, grains, croutons, pasta etc
romaine lettuce, 5. Fruits, fresh, cooked,
spinach etc canned or frozen- apples,
2. Raw vegetables- coconut, melons, pears
etc
avocado, broccoli,
6. Protein foods- meats,
carrots, tomatoes etc
poultry, fish and shellfish,
3. Vegetables, Cooked,
cheese etc
canned and pickled- 7. Miscellaneous-gelatin,
olives, beets, corn, nuts
cucumber pickles etc
 STRUCTURE OF A SALAD
The four basic parts of a salad are:
1. Base or Underliner
2. Body
3. Garnish
4. Dressing
NB: All salads have body and most have
dressing but base and garnish are parts of
only some salads.
 BASE AND UNDERLINER
Leafy greens usually form the base of the
salad. They add greatly to the appearance of
some kinds of salads.
Cup-shaped leaves of iceberg or Boston
lettuce make attractive bases. They give
height to salad and help to confine loose
pieces of food.
A layer of loose, flat leaves (such as romaine,
loose-leaf, or chicory) or of shredded lettuce
may be used as a base.
 BODY
This is the main part of the salad.
Eg. A mixture of greens, starches,
vegetables and protein items.
 GARNISH
A garnish is and edible decorative item that is
added to a salad to give eye appeal and sometimes
as well flavour.
Garnish should harmonize with the rest of the
salad ingredients. It may be mixed with the other
salad ingredients or added at the end.
Often the main ingredients of a salad form an
attractive pattern in themselves and no garnish is
necessary.
A wide range of fruits, vegetables and protein
foods may be used as garnish.
 DRESSING
Dressing is a seasoned liquid or semi-fluid
added to the body of a salad for flavour,
tartness, spiciness and moistness.
The dressing should harmonize with the salad
ingredients. Eg. tart dressings for green and
vegetable salads; lightly sweetened dressings for
fruit salads; light dressings for delicate greens.
Dressings may be added at service time, served
separately for the customer to add or mixed with
the ingredients ahead of time.
 GUIDELINES FOR ARRANGING
SALADS
1. Keep the salad off the rim of the plate
2.Strive for a good balance of colors
3. Height helps make a salad attractive
4. Cut ingredients neatly
5. Make every ingredient identifiable
6. Keep it simple
 CATEGORIES OF SALADS
1. Green salads
2. Vegetable, grain and legume salads
3. Bound salads
4. Fruit salads
5. Composed salads
6. Gelatin salads
 GREEN SALADS
Salad greens must be fresh, clean, crisp,
cold and well drained.
Moisture and air are necessary to keep
greens crisp.
1. Leaves wilt because they lose moisture.
Crispness can be restored by washing and
refrigeration.
2. Air circulation is essential for the greens
to breathe.
VEGETABLE, GRAIN AND LEGUME
Vegetable salads are salads whose main
ingredients are vegetables. Eg. celery, carrots,
cucumbers, tomatoes and radishes. Some are
cooked and chilled before including in the salads;
green beans, beets, artichokes and asparagus.
Starchy items such as grains and dried legumes
can also form the body of a salad.
Raw or cooked vegetables are usually added to
the starch item to enhance the colour, flavour and
nutritional balance of the salad.
 BOUND SALADS
Bound salads are mixtures of foods held
together, or bound with a dressing, usually
a thick dressing such as mayonnaise.
The term bound is used for mixtures of
cooked protein, starch and vegetable
items with mayonnaise such as chicken
salad, tuna salad, egg salad, potato and
pasta salad etc.
 FRUIT SALADS
Fruit salads have fruits as their main
ingredients.
They are popular as appetizer salads, as
dessert salads and as part of combination
luncheon plates often with a scoop of
cottage cheese or other mild tasting
protein food.
 COMPOSED SALADS
Composed salads are salads made by arranging two or
more ingredients attractively on a plate.
They are called composed because the components are
arranged on the plate rather than being mixed together.
One or more elements may be mixed or tossed salads,
but the individual mixed salads are arranged on the
plate with other components for the final presentation.
Composed salads are more elaborate and substantial in
size and are usually served as main courses or first
courses.
 GELATIN SALADS
Gelatin salads have a distinguished
history. Their ancestors are aspics, the
highly ornamented appetizers and
elaborate buffet pieces made with meat
and fish stocks rich in natural gelatin
extracted from bones and connective
tissue.
Aspics are part of the glory of classical
cuisine and still an important part of
modern buffet work.
 SALAD BARS AND BUFFET
SERVICE
Salad bars are frequent fixtures in
restaurants.
Diners enjoy customizing their own
salads with selections from a large bowl
of greens, smaller containers of assorted
condiments and a variety of dressings.
Salad bars take pressure off the dining
room staff during service.
 POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND FOR
SALAD BARS
1. Keep the salad bar attractive and well
stocked from the beginning until the end of
service.
2. Keep the components simple but attractive.
3. Select a variety of condiments to appeal to a
variety of tastes.
 Two types of salad bar condiments:
 a. Simple ingredients
 b. Prepared salads- three bean salads,
macaroni salads
 POINTS CONT’D
4. Arrange the salad bar in this order:
a. Plates
b. Mixed greens
c. Condiments
d. Dressings
e. Crackers, breads etc.
5. Make sure set up conforms to your state health
department regulations.
6. Portion control can be achieved by selecting the
right size plates, condiment servers and dressing
ladles.
 FURTHER READING

CHAPTER 21 IN THE
PROFESSIONAL
COOKING