Here's The Best Way To Mix Warm And Cold Ingredients In A Salad

Salads are typically associated with fresh, cold ingredients — veggies and fruit, cheese, and of course, greens. But the best salads are made with both raw and cooked ingredients; the combination of textures and flavors takes your salad to the next level. Wilted greens get slimy, though, which is not a texture anybody likes, so knowing how to incorporate your cooked ingredients into your fresh ingredients is crucial for super salad success. Chef Megan McCarthy, the Edible Garden Chef at the Atlanta Botanical Garden and Founder of Healthy Eating 101, told us how to combine these components for a salad everyone will want to eat.

"Let warm ingredients (like roasted vegetables or grilled proteins) cool slightly to avoid wilting greens and add them right before serving," says McCarthy, who is also an ambassador for Have A Plant. This one tip is perhaps the most important: You want your cooked ingredients warm, not hot. Second is where you put them. "Layer warm items on top and to maintain freshness of greens," McCarthy suggests. Tossing the warm ingredients together with the fresh before serving puts all of the greens at risk of wilting, so place them on top so only the top layer of greens is in contact with the warm food. Or you can plate your ingredients in the style of a bowl rather than a typical salad by placing them next to each other in groups. Lastly, if you know your ingredients will be really hot, choose a robust green like kale.

When we say warm ingredients, we are talking about roasted veggies, warm meats, or fish to make your salad robust and filling. Oven-roasted vegetables like cauliflower or potatoes add depth of flavor and soft-yet-crispy texture to your salad and also add to the satiety factor. You can even roast or grill your fruits, like in a grilled strawberry balsamic chicken salad. Warm meats provide a welcomed contrast to all the other cold ingredients; try a teriyaki chicken crunch salad or a classic Caesar with warm chicken rather than cold.

To make your salad even more crowd-pleasing, cut your salad lettuce into perfect bite-sized pieces. And make sure to balance the flavors of your ingredients; a tangy vinaigrette can benefit from the additions of rich cheese and meat, and a salad with a creamy dressing should have lots of crunchy, fresh vegetables and fruit. If you follow these tips, your salad is sure to be the main hit of the meal.