Make Your Salad Preparation Easier With One Bowl Tip

Making exceptional salads is easier than you think. Especially when you use a very big bowl. This tip is often overlooked, but makes all the difference. The bigger the better, 13 inches or more is best. One with a wide mouth and deep sides that is at least one quarter larger than your greens. This gives you easy access to all items, plenty of room to make last minute additions, and the freedom to toss with abandon without making a mess. No more fly away greens or the bottom third left undressed because you are squeezed for room. A sizable vessel is also a great way to serve dinner for one.

Selecting a bowl that you love also makes salad taste and present better. Find one that makes you happy like handcrafted and wooden, clean and white, ornate, or a family heirloom. Be sure to include oversized utensils that have a nice hand, are large enough to grab lots of leaves, and effectively toss and serve. But which bowl is best? Start by making sure it's food friendly. The wooden variety should be made with real wood, no glues, and safe coatings. Cherry and maple work well because they are hard woods that age well. It should also be durable, not too porous, and easy to clean. Glass, ceramic, and stainless steel are excellent options.

Now that your bowl is sorted, what else can you do to make your salad sing? Stretch your boundaries and try unique greens. A few stunning Italian choices are Castelfranco or Treviso radicchio. Castelfranco is a pink spotted rose-shaped green with crisp bitter leaves. Treviso has long thin purple leaves with a sweet, crunchy vibe. Try either of these in this roasted carrot, hazelnut, and radicchio recipe. Yellow endive is fun with blue cheese crumbles and lemon chive dressing. Or use curly frisée with a soft-boiled egg and warm bacon vinaigrette.

Balance your greens with at least two other components like nuts, cheese, sliced fruit, fresh herbs, or roasted vegetables. Don't forget to season with plenty of salt. Now add homemade dressing like Alex Guarnaschelli's perfect dressing every time. Another option is ditching greens all together and using tomato and jicama, ancient grains, couscous, or hallumi as your base. Creativity is your friend when it comes to upping your salad game.