| Click Here For Master Chef's School Cooking Tips Archive Articles |
| Salad Tips |
Here are tips for cleaning, storing, and preparing the greens you have
selected for your great salad recipe.
Cleaning
How to Wash Greens
Place leafy greens in basket of salad spinner. With salad spinner in sink,
run cold water through spinner while turning the basket. Repeat once or
twice, if necessary, to make sure greens are clean and dry. Pat dry with
paper towels, if necessary. If you do not have a salad spinner, rinse
greens under cold running water until clean. Then, pat dry with paper
towels.
How to Wash Fresh Herbs
Always wash fresh herbs before use. Rinse small bunches under cold
running water, then blot dry. Or when needing to clean a large amount of
herbs, fill the sink with cold water and swish the herbs around to remove
any dirt. Remove the herbs from the sink and place in a salad spinner to
spin dry. Or, place on paper towels and gently blot dry.
Storing
How to store Leafy Greens
Store greens wrapped between dry paper towels, if desired, in a
perforated plastic bag or loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in the
refrigerator for up to 5 days.
How to Store Long Stemmed Herbs
Place long-stemmed fresh herbs, such as parsley, cilantro and dill, in a
tall glass with the stem ends down. Fill with about an inch of cold water.
Cover the leaves with a plastic bag and refrigerate until ready to use,
changing the water every 2 days. Herbs should stay vibrant and fresh for
about 5 days.
Preparing
How to Core Lettuce
Holding head of lettuce so that bottom, or core end, faces a flat surface,
bring the lettuce down hard against the surface to loosen core. Pull out
core and discard.
How to Prepare Lettuce
Remove the core from the head of lettuce, then pull the lettuce apart
from the core end and tear into bite-sized pieces. Do not chop tender
lettuces, such as butterhead, with a knife since this can cause the
lettuce to turn brown around the edges. Less delicate lettuces, such as
romaine, can be cut but be sure to use a sharp knife.
How to Shred Lettuce
Cut head of cored iceberg lettuce in half. Place each half, cut side down,
on cutting board. Cut across the halves into thin slices, then separate
slices into shreds.
