The Salad Bar Carla Hall Always Has In Her Fridge

Have you ever wondered what Carla Hall likes to keep stocked in her fridge? Ponder no more, because the television personality recently gave The Kitchn a grand tour of the inner trappings of her ice box. Needless to say, when the celebrity chef graciously opens her refrigerator doors to give fans a peek at some of her most essential cooking components, we gawk with rapt attention. Of course, Hall — who resides with her husband, Matthew Lyons — had all of the basics, such as sparkling water (her favorite brand is Waterloo) and eggs. But, she also showed off her colorful array of salad fixings, which comprised what her hubby referred to as a "cutting board salad bar."

The popular chef said the couple likes to keep salad staples like romaine lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, and radishes on hand, noting that they like to "cut up a bunch of stuff" and arrange it on their large cutting board. "And then you just go about and make your salad," she shared. Although Lyons enjoys a creamier dressing, Hall's salad dressing of choice is far simpler. "I always have lemon juice, lemon zest, balsamic, and olive oil," she said. "That's my go-to for the salad."

One great thing about Carla Hall's salad charcuterie-style board is that it allows for personalization, which you wouldn't have the option for if you were to combine the ingredients for a batch of salad in one large bowl. Opting for the celebrity chef's salad bar allows each person to pick and choose what they'd like to feature in their bowl of greens. But, while Hall favors a classic dressing blend of lemon juice, lemon zest, balsamic, and olive oil, her salads are anything but basic. Over the years, she's shared many elaborate salad recipes, which go far beyond your average head of romaine. 

In addition to keeping carrots on hand, it's safe to say that Hall likes to have fruit at the ready, too. Her warm carrot salad with creamy lemon dressing features the crispness of apples and the tart taste of caramelized pineapples. Her black-eyed pea salad with zesty sunflower seed dressing is just as salad bar approved, albeit a bit messier. It features chopped veggies and fresh herbs drizzled with a thick green goddess sunflower seed dressing. 

And, her curry chicken salad will certainly wow the taste senses. It features rotisserie chicken paired with slivered almonds for a toothsome crunch and juicy grapes for a tinge of sweetness with every bite. 

Salad bar trappings aside, the TV personality divulged a few of her other grocery necessities during her riveting fridge tour. As she shared with The Kitchn, she likes to keep her refrigerator stocked with sandwich essentials, such as deli meats and cheeses, as well as condiments like yellow mustard, honey, and mayonnaise, which she combines to make honey mustard. However, Hall said she preferred to forgo the bread in favor of dipping the meat and cheese straight into the creamy dip.

A lover of ice cream sundaes, Carla Hall's homemade caramel was also front and center in her fridge, right next to chocolate sauce and wet nuts. For a sweeter twist on your average whipped cream topping, she likes to mix malt and chocolate cocoa powder with heavy cream, which she lathers on top of her sundaes along with cups of piping hot chocolate.

Last but not least, Hall always has chocolate oat milk ready for the sipping. However, she doesn't keep it in her main fridge; she has a separate beverage refrigerator. This houses all her drinks, from the aforementioned cans of Waterloo to her array of plant-based milks.