Chapter 19 Salads and Dressings 307
Preparing Salad
Greens
If your operation does not purchase
ready-to-eat greens, the greens must be
prepared for salads before use. Each step is
important in order to produce a quality salad.
Cutting
When lettuces and other greens are
received in whole heads, the first step in
preparation is trimming and cutting. This
step is done first so that dirt or insects lodged
in the core of the lettuce are more easily
removed during the washing process.
Lettuce and greens should be trimmed of
any whole or partial leaves that are wilted or
discolored. Remove the cores on head lettuce,
19-5. The thick fibrous stems from leafy
greens must also be removed.
Cut the lettuce into bite-size pieces.
In most cases, the pieces should be small
enough that the diner does not have to use
a knife to cut his or her salad. Some cooks
maintain the belief that salad greens should
be torn by hand rather than cut. This belief
probably originates in a time when all
Hydroponic Greens
A viable option for commercially growing
lettuce and herbs today is hydroponics.
Hydroponics is the science of growing produce
in a nutrient-rich water bath rather than in
soil. Hydroponic produce is grown indoors,
often under artificial light. Though hydroponic
items have a milder flavor than field-grown
products, they contain no dirt, insects, or
pesticides. Hydroponic produce is also available
year-round.
Science &
Technology
Draz-Koetke/Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
19-5 To core iceberg lettuce, (A) strike the core on a
firm surface and (B) pull the core out of the head.
A
B
kitchen knives were made of carbon steel.
Cutting leafy greens with a carbon steel
knife causes them to oxidize or discolor
and possibly take on a metallic taste. Today,
most chefs use stainless steel or high carbon
stainless steel knives and oxidation is not
a problem. In high volume commercial
kitchens, cutting lettuce with a knife is the
most efficient way to cut large volumes of
lettuce. In fine-dining restaurants, lettuce is
still commonly torn.