Salad

Salad Dressing

Summer cooking is all about quick and easy: making the best use of ingredients that you have at hand and spare sweaty trips for grocery shopping. A regular guest in my kitchen is leftover bread: a piece of <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/homemade-baguette">baguette</a>, a few slices of ciabatta or bread from the previous <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/tags/barbecue">barbecue</a>, picnic, dinner, or restaurant visit (no waste, always!). With my love for bread stated, I need to get creative in how to use them up!

It can be prepared on a whim, is not too heavy on the stomach, yet it&#x27;s filling, and versatile, and tasty. But don&#x27;t take me wrong, bread salad is not just a new home for the leftover bits and odds, it is the understated dish of every summer occasion!

The Tuscan bread salad, Panzanella is probably the best known of all, with its beautiful, melodious name. Italians proved their magic with wheat flour in making <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/categories/pizza-pasta">pasta and pizza</a>, why not add the staple bread to the leaves and veggies in the salad (or even replace them altogether)? This classic Mediterranean bread salad is simple. It combines stale white bread or ciabatta with tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, and onions. Then seasoned with salt, vinegar, and a good splash of olive oil. Traditionally, the dry bread is first soaked in water and vinegar. Many modern interpretations, however, don&#x27;t celebrate the soggy bread as much and instead use toasted bread for more crunch.

Bread salads shine in various cuisines around the world. Fattoush, for example, is a beloved Syrian-Lebanese bread salad. It uses thin, deep-fried pita bread as a base (similar to <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/devan-makes-fatteh-crispy-flatbread-with-chickpeas-and-yogurt">Devan&#x27;s fatteh</a>). Mixed with tomatoes, cucumbers, and served with fresh herbs like cilantro, parsley, and mint, Finished with A dressing made with garlic, sumac, freshly squeezed lemon, and olive oil. The final magic touch? A dash of pomegranate syrup. You can let your creativity run wild and go with what you like best (or already have on hand) when making your own bread salad! <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/grilled-vegetable-platter">Grilled veggies</a> or meat from your last barbecue party? Throw them in! Parma ham, buffalo mozzarella or freshly shaved Parmesan take your bread salad to a new level. Leaf lettuce, fresh or dried fruit, nuts, herbs, spices, or boiled eggs are also great additions to your bread salad.

We can’t get enough from these bread salads!

Last summer, I was obsessed with Lisa&#x27;s simple <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/5-ingredient-panzanella-with-nectarines-and-halloumi">5-ingredient version with halloumi and nectarines</a>. Luckily I find something new to add to my list: this bright, crispy bread salad with chicken breast from my colleague <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/de/user/lisa-kristin">Lisa-Kristin</a>.

Crispy bread salad with chicken and radicchio

Lisa-Kristin fried light baguette in butter to get these crispy, golden-brown <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/homemade-croutons">croutons</a>. Romaine lettuce and <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/5-ingredient-radicchio-risotto">purple radicchio</a> are there for a touch of freshness, color contrast, and a touch of crispness. It gets a protein upgrade from pan-fried juicy chicken breast. If you have a little more time, you can marinate the meat ahead of time, and of course, it tastes great from the grill. The ultimate Mediterranean touch and intense flavors that make us dream of the next or last vacation are brought by salty green olives and freshly shaved Parmesan. The dressing is definitely going into my salad dressing repertoire: roasted garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and honey combine thanks to a stand mixer to create a refreshing sauce that rounds out the salad beautifully.

Are your mouths watering already? The even better part is the chopping can be done by tearing them - your meal will be on the table in just 30 minutes!

5-ingredient panzanella with nectarines and halloumi

Dandelion panzanella

Panzanella bread salad

Panzanella salad, dressed 3 ways

Fattoush (Middle Eastern bread salad)

Still got leftover bread? Here are a few ideas how you can turn them into delicious meals.

– make homemade breadcrumbs – roast some <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/homemade-croutons">homemade croutons</a> – make<a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/homemade-bread-dumplings">bread dumplings</a> – toss in the <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/classic-gazpacho">gazpacho</a> – use it as binding material in <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/steven-makes-spaghetti-and-meatballs">meatballs</a> and <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/meatloaf-with-boiled-potatoes">meatloaf</a>

You will never cry over a stale bread again

Bread Salad is Our Favorite for Every Summer Occasion

This article is part of “The Community Issue”, our celebration of what brings us together: Food. This issue is a collaboration with <a href="https://www.infarm.com/en" rel="nofollow">Infarm</a>, the fastest growing vertical farming network from Berlin, that grows 100% local with zero pesticides. At Infarm the plants are harvested at their freshest point and with their roots on to keep the taste and nutrients in! This month, we’ll be giving you recipes that you asked for, highlighting some amazing recipes that you’ve shared, exploring what we’ve learned from each other here at KS, and so much more! Join us as we connect with each other through food this month and check out <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/from-local-to-global-introducing-our-community-issue">this link</a> for an overview of our latest stories and recipes from the issue. Don’t forget to follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kitchenstories_official/" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a> for extra community content and more!

Spring has been late to bloom here in Berlin—as Xueci sagely noted in the throes of this windy May, “Spring is only in the <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/why-scallions-should-shine-through-the-quarantine-time">onions”</a>—but at least we can brighten our days with the season’s colorful plates of produce. At the very least, it’s a mantra I’m trying to stick to. But this article isn’t about me. It’s about you—or us, even. It’s <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/our-recipe-for-crispy-cheesy-chicken-cordon-bleu">another “You Asked For It” recipe</a>. This time, we asked your to vote for the spring salad recipe you’d like to see on Kitchen Stories; the end result was a *very* close call between this springy potato salad and a marinated asparagus salad. The ubiquitous carb won narrowly, but in the <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/from-local-to-global-introducing-our-community-issue">community spirit</a> of things, here we can offer you a 2-in-1 recipe for potato and asparagus (and peas and radishes and scallions and herbs, for that matter) salad. It’s bright on the eye and on the palette, and brings together two rival elements in the annals of <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/the-best-ever-only-recipe-you-ll-ever-need-potato-salad">potato salad</a>—a sharp vinaigrette and a creamy dressing.

How to make the spring-iest potato salad: Here’s the recipe!

Spring potato and asparagus salad

The great potato salad divide: Sharp vinaigrette or creamy, mayo-led dressing?

When it comes to potato salad, there are two go-to approaches. There’s <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/homemade-potato-salad">the German (Swabian, I hear) style,</a> a chivey potato salad with a sharp vinaigrette, served warm on your plate and then there’s the <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/creamy-potato-salad-with-mayonnaise">creamy, make-ahead, mayo-slicked version</a>, sometimes with apples, sometimes with eggs; the kind that’s pulled out the fridge and fed to a crowd. Though I have many a memory of blobbing my paper plate with the latter at bbqs in the early 00’s, these days, I err towards the first, but dressed in moderation: A creamy potato salad has its day—just maybe hold the mayo a little, we want to build flavors here, not sculptures.

Again, in the spirit of building community, not dividing it, with this salad you don’t need to choose: the bulk of the salad marinates (yes, marinates—potatoes are like sponges, so give ‘em a sec to soak) for 10 minutes in a sharp vinaigrette packed with herbs, scallions, lemon juice, and vinegar and is served on top of some horseradish-spiked Greek yogurt (sorry mayo!). Scoop off the top if you want it sharp, stick to the bottom if you want it creamy. Or load the salad from base to summit on your plate (it’s what I do!). There’s something for everyone!

Herb's the word: How to vary your flavors

Potato salad is a chance to really play around with <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/17-of-our-favorite-herbs-and-how-to-use-them">different herbs</a>—I&#x27;ve used mint and dill in the recipe, but you could also add other soft herbs like basil, chervil, tarragon, coriander, chives, or my current favorite, lemon balm. You can also dress the salad in oils infused with hardier herbs like bay leaves or rosemary, so just take your pick, quite literally!

What kind of potatoes are best for potato salad?

I chose sweet, waxy, freshly in-season new potatoes for the recipe which, in my opinion, were made for potato salads. If you can’t find new potatoes: Since you want to boil your potatoes until fork-tender when making potato salad, go for any kind of waxy potato like Russet or Yukon Gold. These potatoes will keep their shape while cooking (you don’t want your potatoes to crumble into rubble in your bowl) and retain a nice, creamy bite! The cooking time will depend on the size of your potato and can vary from around 8 – 12 minutes once the water has boiled and you reduce it to a steady simmer, so keep a fork handy to test them. I prefer to keep the skins on, especially with new potatoes which are so thin-skinned, both out of laziness and a love of le rustique, but it’s up to you and your vegetable peeler at the end of the day.

This month, we’re happy to be collaborating with the Berlin-based farming revolutionaries at <a href="https://www.infarm.com/en" rel="nofollow">Infarm</a>. Since 2013 they’ve been on a mission to provide quality, fresh, and locally grown <a href="https://www.infarm.com/en/products" rel="nofollow">herbs and lettuces</a> (including 5 different kinds of basil!) to communities around the world; they’re now found in <a href="https://www.infarm.com/en/find-us" rel="nofollow">10 countries and 30 cities</a>. Using modular, modern vertical farms that automatically provide the plants with water, light, and essential nutrients, Infarm enables cities (like our hometown, Berlin) to grow locally all year round and save valuable resources. In addition, they don’t use any chemical pesticides! Check out <a href="https://www.infarm.com/en" rel="nofollow">their website</a> for more information about what they do and to check if their 100% locally grown produce is available in <a href="https://www.infarm.com/en/find-us" rel="nofollow">your community</a>.

Do you have a favorite way to make potato salad? Will you be trying this spring-spiked recipe? Let us know in the comments!

Why choose sharp or creamy when you can have both?

The Spring Potato *and* Asparagus Salad to End Potato Salad Debates

When you think ‘salad’—you might be thinking of a leafy, healthy-ish dish brought together by a simple vinaigrette and some choice add-ins like nuts, cheese, or herbs. But, salads, luckily, have many guises: They can range from a fresh and easy leafy combo to a gathering-ready potato salad, they might be vegetable-forward vehicles for fun ingredients like caramelized pear or burrata, all the way over to the more dessert-y, novelty fruit salad served in a pineapple.

To make sure you’re not pigeon-holing salads, here are 50 slightly different variations to get you thinking outside the box—and put the image of salads as a bland, boring side to rest.

Of course, you don&#x27;t have to choose between the many possibilities in the list below. Feel free to take inspiration and mix and match the elements you like best—just don’t forget to share your takes on the recipes in the comments below!

Fruit salad in a pineapple

German cabbage slaw with caraway

Fall salad with mustard dressing

German radish and pretzel salad

American potato salad

Kohlrabi salad with crème fraîche dressing and croutons

Fennel, arugula, and apple salad

Asian vegetable salad

Light strawberry and asparagus salad

Kale salad with spicy chickpeas

Shaved asparagus salad with honey vinaigrette

Salad in a jar

Classic Waldorf salad

Heirloom tomato and mozzarella salad

Grilled watermelon salad with peach

Tomato salad with basil vinaigrette

Smashed cucumber salad

Creamy potato salad with mayonnaise

Mango-avocado salad with lime dressing

Russian salad

Napa cabbage salad with ramen noodles

Summer salad with blue cheese dressing

Zoodle salad with tahini dressing

Energy salad

Mixed salad with balsamic honey mustard dressing

Cobb salad

Kumquat and roasted Brussels sprout salad with avocado dressing

Creamy kohlrabi, orange, and radicchio salad

Green salad bowl with avocado dressing

Caramelized pear, radicchio, and blue cheese salad

Mixed salad with white balsamic honey mustard dressing

Roasted sweet potato salad with hazelnuts, persimmon, and burrata

Devan makes classic Caesar salad

Layered quinoa salad with sweet potato and feta cheese

Quinoa salad with beetroot, sweet potatoes, and miso dressing

Salad bowl with summer rolls, spicy tofu, parsnips, and orange

Superfood salad

Green salad with strawberry-mustard dressing

Herring salad

Marinated shrimp and vegetable salad

Niçoise salad with red mullet

Asparagus salad with lemon mustard dressing

Pan-fried steak salad with Caesar dressing

Shrimp-stuffed lettuce wraps with yogurt sauce

French potato and green bean salad

For mains or sides, savory or sweet

Our 50 Best-Ever Salad Recipes

Eating an undressed salad—it’s an experience no one should have to go through. Making an effort to get the most out of your salad by adding varied greens, fruits, <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/aromatic-roasted-vegetables">roasted vegetables</a>, nuts, seeds, cheese, and meats is mandatory, but it’s the dressing’s crucial job to bring all these elements together and turn your salad into one cohesive dish—rather than a mix of different things. You wouldn’t dream of eating plain spaghetti, so it shouldn’t be any different with a salad: As a pasta sauce would, your salad dressing adds flavor, texture, and creaminess to your meal, and makes sure every bite tastes as rich and delicious as the next.

If you’re feeling you need to start right back at the beginning, here are the <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/the-top-5-salad-mistakes-youre-making-and-how-to-prep-better">top 5 salad mistakes</a> you might also be making (and how to prep better).

The problem with store-bought dressings is that they’re often packed with salt, sugar, or preservatives that your homemade salad wouldn’t otherwise contain, and simply doesn’t need. Making your own salad dressing means personalizing it: You can make it vegan, lactose free, low carb, with no added sugar or oil, etc. The best thing is to experiment with and investigate different flavors.

The base you pick will ultimately imprint its personality to your dressing (and salad), so just think of all the soft cheeses (blue cheese, gorgonzola, goat cheese) you can use as well as <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/homemade-buttermilk">buttermilk</a>, <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/kohlrabi-salad-with-creme-fraiche-dressing-and-croutons">crème fraîche</a>, <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/why-you-should-be-making-yogurt-at-home">yogurt</a>, <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/how-to-make-the-best-homemade-mayonnaise-and-aioli">mayonnaise</a>, etc. For best results, try a ratio of 3 parts creamy base (stick to 2 parts if using a soft cheese) to 1 part liquid (plus add-ins). As an example, for a quick yet delicious herby yogurt dressing, mix ⅓ cup/150g yogurt, juice of 1 lemon (approx. 2 tbsp/50ml of juice), plus 1 tsp garlic powder, chopped parsley, salt, and pepper. Easy!

Make sure to emphasize the dressing base you choose. Blue cheese, for example, has so much personality that the best thing to do is to let it shine:

Crème fraîche and yogurt, on the other hand, go really well with fresh herbs and citrusy add-ins, while mayo is a versatile ingredient that can be used to produce many popular dressings, like <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/caesar-salad">Caesar</a>, <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/green-goddess-dressing">green goddess</a>, Thousand Island, and <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/buttermilk-ranch-dressing">ranch</a>.

Charred asparagus salad with creamy basil dressing

Plant-based salad dressings can be creamy and rich even without any dairy ingredients—good news for vegan and lactose-intolerant folks! My personal favorite dressing is based on peanut butter: I’d highly recommend making your own if you want to try a delicious and rich peanut dressing for your next salad. All you need is peanuts and a food processor—although a powerful blender would also work (or even a coffee grinder). Homemade peanut butter happiness is easy to achieve: roast peanuts, then grind… and keep patiently grinding till it all comes together. Adding any ingredient other than peanuts is by no means mandatory, although a pinch of salt goes a long way. First things first:

How to toast nuts

This recipe actually allows you to turn any nut into butter, like peanuts, cashews, macadamia nuts, etc, all of which can be used as a base for dairy-free, vegan dressings:

Homemade almond butter

Once your peanut butter is ready, you can make your own peanut dressing by whisking together 2 tsp peanut butter, 1 tbsp water, 2 tsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp honey, 1 clove minced garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder), chili (fresh and sliced or flakes), salt, and pepper. Gradually add more water until you reach the desired consistency—it should be thin enough to be poured down onto your salad. Peanut dressing goes really well with iceberg or romaine lettuce (or any other sturdy mild-tasting leaves), crunchy raw vegetables (like carrots, cucumber, bell pepper, soy or bean sprouts), rice noodles, tofu, roasted vegetables (zucchini,<a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/butternut-squash-noodles-with-quinoa-and-soy-peanut-dressing">butternut squash</a>, broccoli), quinoa, and herbs like cilantro or mint.

Another invaluable salad dressing ingredient is <a href="https://www.bonappetit.com/story/what-is-tahini" rel="nofollow">tahini</a>, popular in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines and a major ingredient in some of everyone’s favorites: <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/homemade-hummus">hummus</a>, <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/homemade-baba-ganoush">baba ganoush</a>, and <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/pistachio-halva">halva</a>. For a simple tahini dressing, mix 80ml tahini, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 clove garlic, and 120ml water. If you’re feeling adventurous, make your own tahini from scratch:

Homemade Tahini

Some of the most popular salad dressings are vinaigrettes (Italian, honey mustard, balsamic...). To learn more, I recommend checking out <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/1-vinaigrette-8-ways">our article</a> packed with tips and tricks to make the best vinaigrettes at home. They follow the same formula as creamy dressings: 3 parts oil, 1 part acid, plus add-ins. When it comes to vinaigrettes, you should also think of emulsification—successfully blending oil and another liquid together. To do so, you need a third component that will do the binding: Mustard, honey, egg yolks, mayonnaise, tahini, and miso are all great emulsifiers (and coincidentally, or not, also great salad dressing ingredients).

Basic mustard vinaigrette

While olive oil is the classic, most popular one, there are several types of oils out there and a lot of them can add a whole new twist to your dressing. To vary your dressings, <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/stop-youre-using-the-wrong-oil-for-that">reach for different types of oils</a>, like sesame, pumpkin seed, avocado, linseed, walnut, etc. Sesame and pumpkin seed oil, for example, are very pungent and intense, so do not use more than just a few drops. Oils from toasted nuts are mostly used for baking, but rumor has it toasted walnut oil goes extremely well with roasted beetroot. I’ll leave the rest up to you!

Dressing your salad is not only about making the right dressing, but also knowing how to best pair dressing and salad. A popular type of salad leaf in Germany and one of my favorites is lamb’s lettuce or field salad. The leaves are delicate and would easily wilt under heavier dressings, so I always go for a basic or mustard vinaigrette.

How to prepare lamb’s lettuce

Iceberg lettuce is not so big on flavor and just overall thicker, so this would be a good opportunity to use heavier cream- or mayonnaise-based dressings or a peanut dressing. Arugula, on the other hand, known for its strong flavor and bitterness, goes well with a sweet honey vinaigrette or any vinaigrette that’s slightly acidic and slightly sweet, to balance out the leaves’ natural bitterness. For more tips on salad leaves and how to pair them with other fruits, vegetables, and dressings, take a look at <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/the-ultimate-guide-to-using-salad-leaves">our ultimate guide to using salad leaves.</a>

Washing and drying your salad are the most important steps in the salad dressing routine. If there are tiny water drops sitting on your salad and your dressing (most likely) contains some kind of oil, the water left on the salad will repel the dressing—which will then sadly sit in the bottom of your salad bowl. To prevent that, use a salad spinner (or even paper towels) to dry your salad leaves before dressing.

How to wash salad

Remember to dress your salad just before serving: Oils and fats easily penetrate tender leaves, so the longer your dressed salad sits around, the darker and droopier it will be. When it’s time for dressing, place your greens in a large bowl, pour the dressing down the sides of the bowl, and gently toss with your hands. Avoid using tongs since they can easily bruise the leaves, and I highly recommend serving your salad by itself (instead of next to warm food) on cold plates to make sure it looks fresh and crisp and it doesn’t wilt.

Last but not least: Ever heard of double dressing? First, wash and dry your salad and place everything in a large bowl. Then, add the acid: Drizzle your salad with freshly squeezed lemon juice or your choice of vinegar. After that, sprinkle it generously with salt and pepper and toss well with your hands. Make sure it’s thoroughly and evenly coated and that your leaves are blemish-free. Next, drizzle with olive oil (approx. 2 tbsp) and toss again, still with your hands, and taste for seasoning. Finally, when this is all done, it’s time to add your “official” salad dressing (by following the steps mentioned in step 2 above). Double dressing guarantees every bit of your salad tastes good, even where your thicker dressing cannot reach.

Wondering how to put your newly acquired knowledge to use? Here are some suggestions:

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