How to Make a Better Salad, According to Professional Chefs [Video]

Let’s face it — there are too many sub-par salads in the world. It’s no wonder that many of us resort to one of the billion overpriced, fast-casual salad bars at our disposal when we’re craving a quick lunch or a fresh, flavorful dinner.

But according to professional chefs, making a restaurant-quality salad is a lot easier than you might think. Better yet, it doesn’t require fancy ingredients, special equipment, or even a lot of time. Here are seven strategies that Food & Wine Best New Chefs use to level up their salads.

An excellent salad requires “great dressing, made from scratch,” says 2023 F&W Best New Chef Nando Chang. It can be as simple or as complicated as you’d like it to be, but chefs stress using high-quality ingredients — like great extra-virgin olive oil, vinegar, and fresh lemon zest — and always considering balance. 2011 F&W Best New Chef Jamie Bissonnette suggests making the dressing in advance, so it doesn’t become an …