Essential Kitchen Tools to Build Salads
Building salads is a simple task, yet if you have the right tools on hand, it can become a joyful task. The most joy one receives when building a salad is twofold—it starts with the oohs and ahs you get when you put it on the table and then finally when you see there is none left because everyone enjoyed every morsel!
Now that summer is in full swing, it is time to take advantage of all the good deals on seasonal veggies and turn them into salads.
Here are our favorite salad kitchen tools!
Lettuce spinner. You can save a lot by chopping and rinsing your own lettuce, but often, the results are soggy at best. With a lettuce spinner, you simply chop, add the lettuce, fill with water, stir, dump the water, repeat, and then spin dry. So it not only rinses the lettuce, but it spins it dry! And it can store it very well, too.
Japanese mandolin. This tool will cut any firm vegetable very evenly. Our only caution is to purchase cut-proof gloves so you don’t cut yourself. We also like this tool for slicing onions and French fries. But a salad takes a huge step up when it has thinly shaved fennel, carrots, radishes, and red onions.
Julienne peeler. This peeler makes long, thin strips when you use it on zucchini or carrots. The result is a lovely garnish for salads, bowls, and pho.
Microplane – For zesting lemons or fine grating ginger.
Small grater - for finer piles of carrots or cheese.
Jars with lids - pint size - for making small batches of homemade dressing.
Cutting boards—It helps to have multiple plastic cutting boards to have some to use and some to put in the dishwasher to keep them clean.
Sharp knives—A sharp chef’s or santoku knife and pairing knife make the work easy and safe.
Tongs or serving utensils to toss and serve the salad.
Pinch bowls for herbs, pepper, and other seasonings to serve with the salad. This allows everyone to customize.
