Salad Making Tools for Sensational Salads

The recipe for salad is simple. Start with greens. Nope, more greens. Add vegetables and fruit, toss in some grains, power up with protein, dress it well and garnish with flavour and texture. 

You don’t need to be a chef to make a great salad. But using the same salad making tools the professionals use sure can help.  Remember these tools were designed to stand up to the repeated use of restaurant kitchens so they can surely handle your kitchen needs.

Knives 

A good-quality chef's knife is a great choice for cutting, slicing and chopping crunchy produce however a paring knife works better for peeling and small, delicate tasks.  

Be sure to have a selection of blade sizes, weights and styles so your kitchen staff have a choice of what works best for them. A good chef's knife will also work well to slice protein additions like chicken, salmon, and beef. And don't forget the tofu and chickpeas for vegetarian protein fillers. 

If you prefer your grains to come in the form of bread or buns to accompany your greens, remember to have a slicing knife or two on hand for clean cuts. 

Cutting boards are a must to protect your knives and your counters. Remember to have separate boards for produce and raw meat to avoid cross-contamination. There are a variety of colours available to make it easier. 

Slicing, Dicing, Peeling and Spiralizing Tools 

Spiral slicers - Spiral slicers are great salad-making tools and can be used with zucchini and many other veggies to add a colourful splash to any salad (or other dishes). Spiralled veggies provide a different taste and texture profile to any salad. 

Peeler – A quality peeler, also called a swivel or vegetable peeler is important to make quick work of peeling carrots and other vegetables but can also be used to add shaved or ribbons of fruits and vegetables to your salad bowls. Many people find a Y peeler the easiest type of kitchen peeler to use but it is all about what is most comfortable. 

Grater – A grater is an essential kitchen tool that lets you add the zing of ginger, a pop of garlic, or lemon zest for flavourful additions. Of course, a grater is a must for cheese, too. There are several types to choose from.   

A box grater is a standing tool with a handle on top and four sides. Each side has a different shape of hole for either grating, shredding or slicing.   

A rotary grater is perfect for grating hard cheeses as you can add a final flourish with freshly grated parmesan, like your favourite restaurant.   

A microplane or rasp grater is a very sharp handheld grater with a long, thin surface. Amazingly efficient at zesting citrus fruits, fluffy light shreds of cheese and even chocolate. 

Mandoline – Not all commercial kitchen tools need to use an electrical outlet. A mandoline is a handheld tool used to slice hard foods of varying thickness. 

Food Storage Containers 

After all the time and attention you put into preparing your salad ingredients, proper storage is necessary to keep them at their best. Food storage containers with lids are a must in any kitchen. There are many sizes and shapes as well as materials but some work better than others to keep produce fresher longer. 

Using the proper sized and style of container saves busy commercial kitchens time and money in the long run, for you it means less trips to the grocery store or farmers' market.

Colanders, drain boxes or drain grates are designed for use with specific food storage boxes and are the same dimensions as the box just a slightly shallower depth to allow for drainage. This feature promotes increased air circulation and keeps liquids separate from products perfect conditions for keeping those salad greens crisp and . 

Salad Spinners 

Crisp and clean is the only way to serve greens. Properly washing greens inevitably leaves excess water on the leaves and the best way to remove that water is with a salad spinner.  Salad spinners are also great for washing and drying herbs. 

Although there are many types available, salad spinners work in basically the same way. Made of three components an outer bowl, inner removable bowl with holes (colander) and a lid. The mechanism spins the inner colander which forces (centrifugal force) sends the water to the outer bowl where the water collects and then can be removed. 

Measuring Tools 

Whether you are watching your calories or pennies or both the only way to get a handle on every ingredient is with measuring tools. That includes volume and weight measurements. 

From measuring cups and spoons to weigh scales (even dishers for a chicken or egg salad topping) kitchen measuring tools will ensure that your salads are picture perfect and have the right quantity of every ingredient. 

Tongs for Tossing and Serving salad 

Tongs are a must in kitchen food preparation, especially salad tongs for tossing and serving. Be sure you have the right type of tong for the task at hand.

Length of the tongs, the type of ends (smooth, scalloped, serrated, curved, flat, silicone-coated), tong material and type of hinge are all considerations. 

The tong you use in your kitchen might not work on your table. Your family and friends are going to see and even touch the tongs. Therefore how the tongs look and how easy they are to use (especially if you have young diners) should also be considered.

Salad Bowls 

Properly tossing a salad takes the right bowl. That means a really big bowl. Bigger than you think you need and can be stainless steel, plastic, ceramic or wood. Ideally, when you add all the ingredients to the bowl it should only be about half full. This allows lots of room for tossing in the bowl instead of onto the counter or floor. 

Using large bowls also reduces the amount of bruising to your carefully prepped, washed and dried greens and provides adequate space to evenly distribute all the ingredients including the salad dressing.