Preparing salad greens Salad greens are best washed in running water or large containers of water. If an epidemic alert has been sounded, ensure that all water, including water that is used for washing, is treated. The leaves of lettuce should be removed during this process to get rid of all traces of mud and sand. After thorough draining, lettuce leaves may be torn or shredded. Some people prefer tearing because they believe that cutting destroys cells thereby increasing vitamin loss. Whichever method is used, ingredients should be small enough to be comfortably eaten, but not so small that they could not be identified. Tomatoes may be sliced, cut into wedges or shaped into lilies. Cucumbers are usually sliced but they can be cubed or cut into long strips. Carrots can be grated, cut into thin strips or made into curls. Curls are made by steeping thin slices of the vegetable in cold water. Cooked vegetables should be tender but firm enough to hold their shape.
Salad dressings A salad is in not complete without its dressing. A salad is served with a dressing partly to aid digestion and partly to increase its refreshing quality. The oil or fat also helps in the conversion of carotene to Vitamin A. There are basically three types of salad dressings: french dressing, mayonnaise and cooked dressings. Salads may also be dressed with lemon juice, vinegar, sour cream or evaporated milk combined with vinegar or lemon juice. The kind of dressing used depends on personal preference but there are some salad and dressing combinations that are commonly used, e.g., french dressing with tossed salads and cooked dressings with fruit salads
QUESTIONS 1.
(a) List three types of salads. (b) What is the name given to savoury moulded salads?
2. List four foods, other than vegetables, that can be used in the preparation of salads. 3. Explain why we should observe the following practices when making salads:
(a) use dry salad greens 90