How to Cut Iceberg Lettuce for The Perfect Salad
Have you been wondering how to spice up your salad? Are you getting bored eating the all-time classic lettuce, known as Romaine? Is Iceberg lettuce your next big thing in regards to salad ingredients?
Well, you are not alone, but Iceberg is a little trickier when it comes to preparing and cutting. Unlike the classic lettuce, at first glance, Iceberg resembles more of a cabbage rather than a lettuce. Although once you get to know how to cut it properly, preparing your salad should be child’s play.
1Start off with a fresh iceburg lettuce, straight from the fridge
First and formost, you want a nice fresh iceburg lettuce. You can keep your lettuce as fresh as possible by storing it in a cool dry place – ideally in a top rated refrigerator.
2Clean Your Iceberg Salad Ingredients Before Cutting
3Cutting Iceberg for a Wedge-type Salad
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Apart from cleaning, the next thing you should do on your Iceberg is to remove the core and outer leaves. The outer leaves are usually loose and wilted; it’s not good to eat them.
But what is an Iceberg Wedge salad? Well, in wedge salads, you have your Iceberg cut in quarters, sixths, or even eighths depending on how giant your Iceberg is.
If your Iceberg has a big and thick stem, cut most of it, but do not remove it completely. Leaving a small part of them intact is a nice trick for wedge salads; this way, the Iceberg leave will not fall apart and stay in place; it also helps you hold the wedge better.
After you are done with your wedge pieces, you are free to top them with chopped tomatoes, onions, cheese, bacon, and a dressing of your choice. There is no iron rule, be creative.
4Cutting Iceberg for a Coleslaw-type Salad
Unlike the Wedge salads, Coleslaw salads require your Iceberg to be finely shredded to be well and even mixed with the dressing sauce and other vegetables you will choose. Assuming you have got your Iceberg clean, let’s get one with the chopping.
Since your goal for perfect Coleslaw salad is finely cut slices, you need to cut your Iceberg with a specific technique and, if possible, use a sharp kitchen knife. A sharpened knife will make the procedure faster and way easier. So the steps you need to follow are:
- Cut your Iceberg in half
- Put the one half of the Iceberg upside down. It should like a dome shape.
- Hold it with your free hand using the “claw grip”. The “claw “grip” prevents you from
- cutting yourself by accident.
- Start chopping the Iceberg from one end to the other.
- When you are halfway done, depending on the Iceberg’s size, holding it in place can be quite uncomfortable. If that’s the case, flip it over and keep going.
- After you are done, remember to separate the strips from each other by tossing them with your hands or mixing them with any kitchen utensil that you have on hand. Having the slices separated from each other makes the mixing with the dressing and any other vegetable way easier.
Conclusion
By now, you should be an expert at cutting Icebergs and preparing them for the perfect salad. Remember that Iceberg is a pretty versatile vegetable when it comes to salads. Iceberg’s mild taste and crispiness make it perfect for almost any kind of salad while being low in carbohydrates, thus being ideal for nearly all types of diet as well.
Also, as we already mentioned above, you should always clean your Iceberg and every other ingredient before making a salad. Lastly, while using knives, you should always be careful and use the “claw grip” to avoid cutting yourself.
Finally, you should always treat your food with respect and appreciation; it is your body’s fuel after all.
