300 Part Three Ingredients, Preparation, and Presentation
Main Course
Salads have gained an even more impor-
tant purpose on the menu with the rising
popularity of main course salads. Green
salads paired with portions of cooked
chicken, seafood, or meat are a great way for
chefs to create lighter entrées, 19-1. Extremely
popular on lunch menus, these main course
salads may combine hot and cold elements
on the same plate.
Salad Bars
Salads bars or buffets have become a
fixture in American casual dining and fast-
food restaurants. They are popular with
diners because they offer variety, choice, and
custom-salad creations. Restaurant operators
find salad bars attractive because the ingredi-
ents are relatively low cost and the self-serve
format saves labor costs.
The key to a successful salad bar is
a large variety of attractively displayed
ingredients, 19-2. Salad bars should be designed for easy access while still main-
taining sanitary conditions. Maintaining
the proper temperature of food on display
is essential.
Types of Salads
Salads take on many different appear-
ances. However, all salads can be catego-
rized as one of three main types—simple,
composed, or bound.
Simple
Simple salad is a term used to classify a
salad of greens and various raw vegetables
such as cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, and
others. A mixture of ingredients providing
a variety of flavors, colors, and textures is
desirable for simple salads.
Simple salads may be served with any
type of dressing. The dressings can be either
tossed with the salad or served on the side.
Tossing simple salads with dressing too far in
advance causes the salad, especially delicate
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19-1 A chicken Caesar salad is a popular main
course salad.
Draz-Koetke/Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
19-2 An attractively displayed salad bar appeals to
customers.