Cooking Skills, Present or Not

I'm sure everyone has certain odd memories that stick with them no matter what. One thing that has stcuk with me, is a drawing my friend Bobby Di did in 5th grade. He was one of the two or so "good artists" in our class, and I was always jealous with his ability to draw things that looked like they really were. So, I tried to pay attention to how he did it. One day, we were drawing hot dogs, that part I forget why, but I always remember how his hot dog looked so realistic, so life-like. He had added a few small lines at the end of the hot dog, showing the point where the sausage links come together. It gave the impression of bulk, of a hot dog. I realized that it was not so much a steady hand that made him the good artist, it was his ability to pick up on the bitsiest detail that made something look right. I could never draw like Bobby but I can cook.

Perhaps because I've eaten great food for so many years (thanks Mom, thanks CQ), I seem to instictively know how to make good food. I do not have a wide repotoire, and I avoid dishes that require precision. What I can make, most of the time, I can make very well. Like Bobby Di, I seem to know the right amount of seasoning or the right amount to cook something. I'm not bragging because I know a lot of people on this board who can cook even better than me. I'm posting because, skilled as I may be, I have a real big problem in the kitchen.

I cannot toss a salad. I've written before on my love of big salads or chopped salads, usually a mess of cubed fresh vegetables with something leftover, like today, rotisserie chicken. I've become adapt at the chopping, make a great mustard vinegriette, season very aggressively especially with cracked black pepper. It all tastes great EVEN if all of the good stuff gathers on the bottom.

I have tried several copied or observed methods to toss my salads. I've used tongs, spoons, fork and spoon, the flip (OK, I've not quite mastered that one). At the end of the day, I have lettuce on top, stuff underneath. I wanted total mixture so that each bite is like the last and each taste is such powerful combination of ingredients it tastes like nothing I have ever tasted before. Can anyone help

Rob

Toss it all in the salad spinner?

Not trying to be a smart aleck, but after having worked pantry side in many kitchens, just hunker down and use your hands. Wash before and wash after. More effective than any one tool extending from them for this particular job. Also taste several times before serving for seasoning adjustments.

Rob, you and I have the *same* deal.....I can't "do" salads, specifically tossed green salads.

I'll be watching this thread closely and look forward to many interesting responses!

My advice is to use a nice big bowl (not too deep or narrow) with a bit more room than your salad needs. I use two wooden spoons and kind of scoop from the bottom middle to the upper outer edges, turning the bowl as needed. I also use less dressing than I think I might end up needing--it often turns out to be the perfect amount. (But any tossing inadequacies can be corrected in the serving stage, so fret not!)

As per above, I've always heard to use your hands. Works for me.

Let's face it, denser things will end up on the bottom. It's physics. You can't technique your way out of physics.

My solution has been to do the tossing in a bowl that I can fit another bowl over, creating a salad bathosphere. 1) I toss away until things are properly coated, then, 2) I invert at the last minute so the denser things are now sitting on top. Then, 3) just a wee bit of shaking and they begin their inexorable progress back to the bottom. 4) Having just barely begun this dispersal from top to bottom, I serve.

The best thing is to make the salad in a larger bowl. Add the dressing. Toss using both hands (immecaply washed of course). Use those same hands to scoop out the salad into individual plates, you can then dig down and get any ingredients that fall to the bottom so that all bowls get equal amounts.
Paulette (mom)

Hi,

My favorite salad dressing is from little packets made in Germany. On the bottom of a large enough bowl, I pour in the contents of this packet plus several tablespoons of water and olive oil. I wait a few minutes for the dressing to rehydrate while I do something else.

I also like those tubs of mixed salad greens from Costco. I will throw in a few handfuls of lettuce, then using a salad fork and spoon lift with one and shovel with the other in a circular ferris-wheel manner. Once I am satisfied the dressing is evenly distributed, I add more lettuce and continue distributing. This packet of salad dressing dresses enough salad for 3-4 people.

My other stock lettuce is Romaine lettuce, which is washed, arranged on a towel as whole leaves, rolled up and kept in the refrigerator. If they are used as a tossed salad, I take a paring knife and make a neat cut up the spin, then cut into 1-2 inch segments depending on the lettuce width.

I have seen this and never did it myself. I once belonged to a group where one member was an Italian lady whose family owns a restaurant. She came to a function with her salad already dressed in olive oil. When it was time to serve, only then did she apply the vinegar. She advised the vinegar causes the salad to wilt, not the olive oil. Since I almost never bring a salad to a function, I never tried it.

Regards,