Chapter 7 Presenting and Storing Salads PDF

MODULE COOKERY 1 PRESENTING AND STORING SALADS Objectives At the end of the chapter, students are expected to: Know how to present salads attractively. Know the pr...

MODULE COOKERY 1 PRESENTING AND STORING SALADS Objectives At the end of the chapter, students are expected to: Know how to present salads attractively. Know the proper storing of Salads and Dressing. Be aware on the temperature needed for Salad and Dressing. CHAPTER 7 | Presenting and Storing Salads FACTORS AND TECHNIQUES IN PRESENTING AND PLATING SALADS People eat with their eyes. The question is “Does the food say, eat me?”. It is very challenging to prepare salad and present it attractively. A salad presentation is an edible food styling which should make everyone enjoy eating. Salad is a healthy food and should be presented beautifully to make it appealing to one’s appetite. A salad that is well-presented is beautiful, colourful, and captivating. It does not only make the diner really want to eat, but it also allows the diner to identify the food ingredients, their quality and the technique used in preparation. Senior High School 1  MODULE COOKERY 1 Techniques in Presenting and Plating Salads 1. Choose salad greens that are fresh and crisp. Crispiness is the most desirable characteristics of vegetable intended to be eaten raw. Vegetables should be washed thoroughly in cold running water. Place in a colander and drain. Cover with damp towel and refrigerate to maintain the crispness of the greens. When the greens are wet and combined with the dressing, the dressing will be diluted and tasteless and prevent it from coating the leaves or the greens. 2. Choose pleasing combinations with contrast in color, texture, form, size and flavour. For green salad, carrots are added for accent or sometimes tomatoes can be used. The natural colors of vegetables and fruits make the preparation of salad pleasing not only on the sense of taste but also to sense of sight, vegetables and fruits should be cut uniformly. They mat be in cubes, strips or shredded. Tiny cherry tomatoes and baby corn may be confirmed as whole. Vegetable are bland in flavour. Chopped onions and celery are added to enhance the flavour. 3. Choose correct dressing, best use a small amount of it. Dressing should be added before serving to avoid weltering of the greens. Too much dressing makes the salad limp. 4. In case of potato salad, dressing is added long before serving to have the flavour, mayonnaise penetrates to potatoes. Dressing can be served separately, in some kind of salad. 5. Arrange salad attractively and avoid fixed appearance. Toss ingredients lightly. Too much mixing will crush or bruise the vegetables. “Fixed arrangements” require too much time and undue amount of handling the ingredients. 6. Use appropriate salad bowls or salad plates. Salad looks better on white solid plates or bowls. It should be the focus. 7. Serve salad cold (chill green for a few minutes before serving). Senior High School 2  MODULE COOKERY 1 Salad presentation is an art of modifying processing, arranging, and garnishing it, to enhance its aesthetic appeal. The following factors are considered in preparing and presenting salad. Balance – There must be balance in arranging the ingredients according to colors, cuts or shapes, textures and flavors to enhance the appearance of salad and appealing to one’s tatste. Harmony – Add ingredients that will harmonize or go with the salad. Chopped herbs, thinly sliced vegetables, shredded carrots, sprinkles of spices may be mixed with drizzled sauces or dots of flavour oils. There should be unity of the ingredients and dressing. Height – Heavy dressing or topping makes salad weighed down and not appealing. Fresh and crisp greens add height and help create visual appeal. Color – Salad ingredients of different colors add to eye appeal. Create colourful tossed green salads by adding shredded carrots or beets or red cabbage. Texture – Meat or fish has a texture which is contrast with the texture of fresh vegetables and thru a combination of both is very pleasing and appealing. For further reading please refer to the link provided: Salad Plating https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvjQdDeqaw4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4naiBa8kuc&t=372s Senior High School 3  MODULE COOKERY 1 SAFE AND HYGIENIC PRACTICES IN STORING SALADS AND DRESSING Green salads and other fruit salads which are preferably eaten raw should be stored properly and hygienically to maintain its freshness and prevent the growth of bacteria and spoilage of the dressing. No salad will stay fresh indefinitely but it can be preserved for as long as possible by storing it in a proper way thus minimizing moisture and air exposure. Green Salad 1. Rinse the greens and other ingredients thoroughly in cool water. Dry them off completely. 2. Assemble the salad. Mix the greens before storing them. Other ingredients like hardboiled egg should not be mixed and stored with the salad. Other fruit ingredients that contain much water should not be mixed with the salad for the greens will wilt quickly. 3. Salad should be placed in a container with clean, dry paper towel placed at the top of the salad bowl to keep moisture off and prevent lettuce from getting soggy. 4. Store the dressing separately. Dressing should be stored in an airtight container. Never combine the dressing and the sal ad before storing it. 5. Refrigerate the salad. Place the salad and dressing in the refrigerator. Keep them there until ready to serve. Every time the salad container is opened, stir the salad and replace the paper towel with the fresh one. Storing salad will stay fresh and crisp in a week. Senior High School 4  MODULE COOKERY 1 Fruit Salads 1. Wash fruits and dry. Cut the fruits. Apples and pears should be soaked in lemon juice or any citrus juice to avoid oxidation or the browning of cut fruits. 2. Submerge the fruits in the cold water. Place them in a plastic container and cover them completely with the fresh cold water and should not come in contact with air. 3. Refrigerate the fruit salad. Place in a container, refrigerate and chill until ready to serve. Store fruit salad for 3 to 5 days. Longer storing will lose the freshness of salad. Do not refrigerate fruit salad with the dressing. Just before you plan to serve it, toss the prepared fruit into it before dishing it. Miscellaneous Salad 1. Egg salad, chicken salad, potato salad, pasta salad, and tuna salad are stored in an airtight container and sealed. 2. All pre-cooked ingredients should be refrigerated to preserve freshness of the food and to keep it safe. 3. Add dressing immediately before serving. Salad can be stored longer if dressing is added before serving. 4. Know how long the salad last. Salad stays fresh as long its fastest spoiling ingredients stays fresh. Pasta with non-mayonnaise dressing stays for five to seven days. Salads with mayonnaise-based dressing stays for 5 to 7 days if stored in the refrigerator. 5. Salad should be stored in the right place, in right container with the right temperature. In storing salad, it takes thoroughness so that the freshness of salad can be maintained. The right temperature storing salads is 4 to 6 degrees Celsius or 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Refrigerator does not only keep salad fresh but also limit the growth of bacterial pathogens. For further reading please refer to the link provided: Storing Salad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVL2BzvDSug Senior High School 5