Prevent A Sad, Soggy Salad With Some Shrewd Vegetable Placement

One of the many benefits of salads is that they are very simple and straightforward to make. Once you have assembled your preferred ingredients, it's just a matter of tossing everything together. However, if you're not careful, your crisp crunchy greens can quickly turn into a soggy mess. The way you layer your dressing and other ingredients can make or break your meal, so it's important to learn how to do so properly. To avoid the tragedy of a soggy salad, you'll need to be particular about where you place your veggies.

In order to implement this trick, you'll need to add salad dressing to your bowl before anything else. Doing so will allow you to better mix your salad, and is a great hack to know in its own right. Once you've coated the bowl with the right dressing for your salad, it's time to start assembling everything else. The key to a crisp salad is to toss bulky, hearty ingredients into the bowl first. Items like carrots, bits of apple, cucumber, and raw peppers will create a wall between the dressing and your salad greens so they don't become overly saturated with liquid.

The goal here is not to stop your lettuce, spinach, or other leafy vegetables from getting their fair share of dressing — you can still ensure that everything is evenly coated with a few good tosses. Rather, creating that strong veggie barrier will prevent your greens from coming into direct contact with the dressing, which may lead to them becoming laden with it and losing their crunch.

If your salad is light on sturdy vegetables, you can use any hardy ingredients you have on hand, like toasted almonds, seeds, or dried fruit. Croutons may seem like another good option, but they are better suited for the top layer of a salad since they are porous and may absorb too much dressing. Layering your salad in this way also comes in handy if you're on-the-go since you can transport your salad and dressing in one bowl without worrying about being greeted with a soggy mess come lunchtime.

The possibilities of salad are endless, but they can all be cut short by sopping wet leaves. To keep your greens fresh and your mind at ease, separate your dressing and leafy elements by creating a protective layer of strong and tasty veggies.