can I pre-make shredded salad

HooRYou

Thu, Feb 11 2010, 3:51 am

If I wanted to make one of those shredded salads, the kind with the different layers of shredded vegetables that gets served in glass bowls how much in advance can I make it? For example, can I make it at night to be served the next day?

Thanks

louche

Thu, Feb 11 2010, 12:04 pm

Depends on how fussy you are. I make salads Thursday night and we eat them till they're gone, which can be as late as Wednesday or even the following Thursday. Most ppl wouldn't do that. Lettuce tends to turn brown, cabbage turns bitter, tomatoes get mushy, and it's worse if you have salty ingredients like olives. It's better if you don't dress salad in advance and if you regularly drain off the liquid that always accumulates at the bottom.

I wouldn't hesitate to make a salad the night before, but as I say we're not very fussy. Nor do I aspire to making a huge impression with my wonderful crisp amazingly fresh salad.

Oh, and you retain vitamins longer if you don't cut veggies in advance. I just force everyone to eat twice as many veggies to make up for the loss of vitamins, lol.

Considering that supermarkets sell preshredded veggies in plastic bags and these are dated a week to two weeks ahead, I see no good reason not to shred your own veggies in advance if need be.