Cleansing Salad Plants

Too much care cannot be exercised in cleansing salad plants. First of all, cut off the earthy root, remove coarse or discolored leaves, and wash thoroughly; each leaf of lettuce needs careful attention, lest the tiny insects of the same color as the lettuce itself, which so often infest the plant, be retained; watercress needs careful attention for the same reason. Crisp as above, then drain and swing lightly in wire basket (salad plant drainer) or in a coarse net or piece of cheesecloth. Wipe each leaf of lettuce without bruising it; dry shredded cabbage, sliced cucumbers, radishes, celery, etc., between folds of soft cheesecloth; then let stand exposed to the air a few moments. This careful drying is necessary, as oil and water do not commingle and a salad is perfectly dressed only when each individual leaf or bit of vegetable is lightly coated with oil or appropriate dressing.

Preparations Of Salad Materials

Formerly it was considered a culinary sin to cut lettuce with a knife: the proper thing was to shred the leaves with the fingers. Steel knives gave an unpleasant taste to the dressed salad, but by use of a silver or silver-plated knife the trouble is obviated. Before dressing, if quickly done, lettuce may be cut with any kind of a clean, well-polished knife. The varieties of cos lettuce may be more artistically arranged, especially in compound salads, if the leaves be cut in ribbons of uniform width. Lay the leaves one above another in a pile, then cut through all at once. It certainly would be a sin against beauty to cut the delicate heart leaves of cabbage lettuce.

A thick paring should be cut from cucumbers. Radishes make an effective looking salad when sliced without removing the pink skin; both should be sliced or cut in uniform pieces. Cubes of cucumber rather than slices give variety. Cooked vegetables should be firm, that they may be cut in neat pieces of uniform shape and size. For this reason, new potatoes are better than old. Salad herbs and plants have but little food value: they are simply appetizers. In complex salads, or salads of many ingredients, nutritious food materials are mixed with those that are simply savory, or spicy and crisp, and such salads not only tempt the appetite, but satisfy it. These nutritious articles, whether cooked vegetables, meat or fish, before being combined with the crisp plants, are usually marinated or allowed to stand some time in a French dressing, all or a part of which they will absorb.

Draining Salad Materials

When mayonnaise or a thick boiled dressing is to be used with salad material that has been marinated, the marinade is carefully drained off, lest it thin the dressing that is to be added.

Points To Be Remembered In Salad Making

(1) Salad herbs and plants should be clean, cold and crisp.

(2) Salad materials that are cut should be neat and symmetrical in shape.

(3) Meat, fish, etc., and most cooked vegetables, used in salads, should be well marinated and cold before mixing with crisp plants and sauce.

(4) The ingredients composing the salad should not be combined until the last moment before serving.