THE ESSENTIAL OF SALADMAKING.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 272, 21 December 1914, Page 4

THE ESSENTIAL OF SALADMAKING.

The French chef is famous for the excellence of his "Salads, our American cousins have learned the art also, but the average English or colonial cook has but scanty ideas how this valuable adjunct to the summer menu is prepared, and it is the exception and nQt the rule when a really well-made salad is served. Salads may be made of so many kinds of vegetables, and it is a most advantageous way of using any cold vegetables that have been left from the previous meal. The following important rules must be carefully followed when preparing a salad from uncooked vegetables. Remove from the lettuce, endive, etc., all faded and outside leaves that are not fit for the salad, then break each leaf into pieces' of a convenient size; do not on any account eut them with a knife. Keep a sharp look-out for caterpillars, etc., and, having seen that the leaves are clean, put tMem into a bowl of water and leave them for about a-quarter of an hour. Turn them into a collander to drain, and then shake them in a clean, dry cloth until they are quite free from moisture, but do not squeeze them dry. It is most necessary that vegetables used for salad are pref ectly fresh, otherwise the salad will be far from wholesome. The dressing should not be added to the salad until just before it is to be used; in fact, many people mix in the dressing when the salad is upon the table.