Why You Should Always Taste Your Salad Dressing While Seasoning

Few things in the food world are more disheartening than a bland salad: the flavorless lettuce, a completely useless sprinkling of black olives, and a dressing that does not deliver. Just around the corner, there's a colorful world of salads out there, mixed with an herby lemon vinaigrette, bright notes of sherry vinegar, or a kick of finely grated ginger paired with lime.

How does a salad go from boring to brilliant? One word: seasoning. As you mix, grate, and emulsify, it's crucial to actually taste the dressing — and not with a spoon. Instead, taste it by dipping a lettuce leaf into the mixture. The method may sound strange, but hear us out. It's pointless to taste salad dressing on its own. After all, nobody is going to drink the dressing by itself (unless you're one of those people who really love ranch). Sampling the dressing with a lettuce leaf will allow you to taste it in context and concoct a flavorful, well-seasoned final product.

Consider this chicken kale salad with cider vinaigrette recipe: As you season your vinaigrette with salt and pepper, test it out by dipping a piece of kale into the mixture. You'll be sprinkling a relatively small amount of dressing into your salad, so be sure to season the dressing aggressively to ensure the perfect balance between saltiness, acidity, and fat. Salt, in particular, goes a long way when it comes to seasoning — before even adding your dressing, be sure to lightly salt your tomatoes and lettuce for a flavor-packed result.

And if you're looking for a more exciting take on your weekday lunch, don't be afraid to stray away from the traditional oil-and-vinegar combos. Try ingredients like white miso (as in our pickled mushroom and miso brown rice salad), which truly shines when whisked with honey, salt, and white wine vinegar. Or take a classic salad ingredient and transform it into an unconventional dressing by roasting tomatoes over high heat before blending them with red wine vinegar, garlic, and olive oil for a roasted tomato vinaigrette.