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Stop Making Boring Salads

Sarah Basford Canales Avatar
Sarah Basford Canales


Sorry to say it but your salads are probably boring but you can’t blame the humble old meal itself, it’s most definitely you. But that’s okay, life is all about learning and that’s why a Twitter user dished up some helpful tips to turn your dreary salads into something tasty, or at least edible.

Elan Gale, best known as a producer for The Bachelor, apparently has a side hustle as a salad extraordinaire after he took to Twitter to inform the world how to make a salad good.

Apparently it’s something that really resonated with the world because the tweet went viral receiving nearly 20,000 retweets and peppered with plenty of digital high-fives. If you’re feeling a little attacked by the tweet, fix up your terrible salad game and use some of Gale’s tips.

Season each ingredient individually

Step number one is treating each ingredient as if you would eat it by itself. Chucking some tomatoes in? Salt and pepper them. You probably won’t eat avocado without a bit of pepper and salt so cover that too before you put it in.

Ditch the lettuce

I don’t like lettuce and it’s a big part of why I dislike most salads. Lettuce is as inoffensive in texture as it is in flavour, which is why Gale’s next step is an important one for me — ditch the lettuce and use something else. There are a number of foilage-y, leafy alternatives with better texture and nutrients and, most importantly, more flavour. Try spinach, rocket, cavolo nero, literally anything other than plain old lettuce.

Spice it up

Not everyone likes, or can handle, a bit of spice in their food but if they can, add it in. Gale recommends chopping up some jalapeños or radishes but if you’re bold, chop up a chilli and enjoy the burn.

Herbs are flavour bursts

Herbs shouldn’t just be reserved for pasta sauces and roasts — salads need love too. Do your best to match your herbs to the flavours you’ve got — coriander and basil are always fresh flavours to use — and use fresh herbs rather than the dried, jar ones where possible.

Cheese, need we say more

Cheeses can really take your salad to the next level. Just think, all the classics such as Greek and Caesar contain a generous serving of cheese. So don’t forget this key ingredient when making your next mess.

Oils, vinegar and citrus are key

After you’ve loaded your salad with flavour, you’ll need to add some dressings like oils, vinegar and citrus. Add olive oil, whatever vinegar you’d like and some citrus juice like lemon or lime. Just remember, they’re there to pull it all together, not to add emergency flavour.

Experiment a bit

There’s no formula set in stone so as long as it’s tasty and edible, experiment to your heart’s content.

Thank you Gale for daring to go where no other has so publicly before. Let’s hope our salads are dazzling from this day forward.

[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2020/01/for-better-wedge-salads-upgrade-your-lettuce/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/gjcp2iia0g8mdr5zfxs9.jpg” title=”For Better Wedge Salads, Upgrade Your Lettuce” excerpt=”The wedge salad is often dismissed as nothing more than a vehicle for blue cheese and crispy bits of cured pork. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. In fact, I think a delivery system for cheese and bacon is what lettuce should strive to be, but you can make your wedge just a touch more nutritious (and flavorful) by swapping out the iceberg for something with more character.”]

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