The Common Lettuce Prep Mistake That's Holding Back Your Salads

Among the three tips for the quickest salad prep ever, washing and preparing a bountiful base of crisp lettuce may be the most important. Fresh, colorful veggies, shredded cheese, dried fruit, and toasted nuts all taste more delicious when paired with your preferred variety of leafy greens. Yet, when it comes to serving and enjoying your next plate of salad, how you prep your lettuce makes more of an impact than you think. For the most satisfying eating experience, chop your greens with a knife.

Instead of haphazardly tearing fresh lettuce with your hands, cutting lettuce gives your greens a more predictable shape. Torn lettuce results in uneven results or more specifically, pieces that are significantly larger than others. By using a knife, you're ensuring clean cuts through every portion. Better yet, if you're cutting down your lettuce into smaller more manageable pieces, each bite of salad will be perfectly infused with equal amounts of lettuce, toppings, and dressing.

For easy cutting, use a special knife like the Jawbush Professional Lettuce Knife available through Amazon. Lettuce knives have a soft serrated edge to help cut through thicker heads and are more often than not, made of plastic instead of metal. For an effective substitute, if you don't have a lettuce knife, use a serrated bread knife or in some cases, an extra-sharp chef's knife. Now that you're aware of the right tools for the job, depending on the type of lettuce you're cutting, there are different preparation techniques you should consider.

With a few convenient tricks, fresh lettuces like green leaf and romaine can be cut and prepared with ease. Start by pinching the upper leaves together and slicing off a small portion from the top. Then, keeping the head intact, make long, thin, vertical cuts from the stem to the top, rotating the base as you work. From here, lay your head of lettuce onto a cutting board and start chopping.

On the other hand, when it comes to cutting baby greens like arugula and spinach, form a bunch of loose leaves together into a tight bundle and start slicing. For this type of green, a straight-edge knife works best since it provides resistance and a cleaner cut to more fragile, delicate leaves. Hearty greens like kale and collard greens are first de-stemmed and then rolled up and sliced in a similar fashion.

Once your greens are successfully cut and washed, it's time to build your next colorful, refreshing salad. Level up your salad game with one simple step such as chilling your serving plate or bowl before mealtime. Additionally, chef Bobby Flay's tip for dressing salads is a game changer.

Instead of pouring your dressing of choice directly onto your greens, add a small amount to your chilled dish or bowl, followed by your greens. By slowly incorporating your greens into the added dressing, you'll be left with a crisp and flavorful salad that isn't oversaturated.