Part of Lesson Plan: The Making of Bound Salads

Activity Overview / Details

Bound salads are salads that are generally made of hearty, non-salad leafy ingredients bound together by a thick dressing. Usually, the dressing is mayonnaise, yogurt or sour cream.  Tuna salad, potato salad, macaroni salad, seafood salads and chicken salad are examples of bound salads.   

Today we will assemble a simple but delicious Chicken Salad.

Guidelines for Making Bound Salads
Make sure when using cooked ingredients thoroughly cool before being mixed with mayonnaise, and the completed salad. Mayonnaise-type salads are ideal breeding grounds for bacteria that cause food poisoning.

Bound salads are good ways to use leftovers such as chicken, meat, or fish, but the ingredient must be handled according to the rules of good sanitation and food handling.
Potatoes for salads should be cooked whole, then peeled and cut, in order to preserve nutrients.

Except in the case of sandwich fillings, don’t cut ingredients too small, or the final product will be like mush or paste with little to no texture.

Crisp vegetables are usually added for texture. Celery is the most popular, but other choices
like green peppers,carrots,chopped pickles,onions,apple and other are used together.
Bland main ingredients, such as potatoes and some seafoods, may be marinated in dry spices

A good rule when making Bound Salads is to :
Fold in thick dressings gently to avoid crushing or breaking the main ingredients.

Bound salads are usually portioned with a scoop. This has two advantages: (a) It provides portion control and (b) gives height and shape.

For plated salads, serve on a base of greens, and choose attractive, colorful garnishes when appropriate.

A scoop of potato or chicken salad looks pale and uninteresting when plated without a base or garnish.