You've (Likely) Been Dressing Creamy Salads The Wrong Way

Even if you love the burst of flavor that comes from biting into fresh vegetables, adding dressing can enhance the taste and presentation of a salad. The problem with dressing, particularly the creamy variety, is that it doesn't always spread evenly — or easily, for that matter. To coat all of your vegetables, you might be adding more dressing than you really need. Even then, you might still find some sections that have too much dressing, while others have too little. Obviously, tossing your salad mixes the ingredients to ensure you get a satisfying mouthful in every bite, but how you apply the dressing, even to a simple salad recipe, can dramatically affect your success.

When you add salad dressing to the top of a salad, you're only covering one side of your salad. Mixing it throughout takes a bit of tossing. If you dress the bowl first, then add the salad, you're covering the bottom and the sides of your lettuce, veggies, and other components. This makes the task more efficient and helps you coat every ingredient in your bowl with that delicious, creamy dressing.

There are plenty of mistakes you can make with salad. Some are preference-based, like using a dressing that doesn't enhance the flavor elements of your salad, while others, like using wilted or brown lettuce, can spoil the experience entirely. When dressing the bowl, there are two important factors to remember if you want the best salad.

First, as tempting as it is to mix the salad and the dressing ahead of time, with most salads, it's best to wait until just before serving to add the lettuce to the dressed bowl. The longer the lettuce mingles with the dressing's oils, the more wilted the lettuce will become.

Second, consider a larger bowl. Salads are made of leafy vegetables and lightweight ingredients, like grated cheese. If the dressed salad bowl is barely large enough to hold the ingredients, you'll make a mess when you combine the creamy dressing with the other components — the agitated mixture will spill over the sides of the bowl. A larger bowl will give you room to toss your salad properly.