The Bagged Salad Hack That Saves You The Pain Of Washing Dishes

Salads aren't the most portable of foods, mostly because premixed salads rapidly lose crucial textural variety, and mixing one on the go just seems potentially messy. However, supermarkets are forever making things easy for the home cook, and the bagged salad can do more than just rescue you from tedious prepping and chopping. The bagged salad hack essentially lets you bring together and eat a freshly mixed salad wherever you are, and all you need apart from the bagged salad is a fork (which also comes included in the bag sometimes). Not only is it a way to make your salad ultra-portable, but it also saves you from having to do any cleanup!

Not to oversell the point, but you can take inspiration from this hack and even put together homemade salads while on the go. It works particularly well for picnics, road trips, or even carrying a lunch salad to work. When used in combination with the ice tray hack for keeping food cold, the bagged salad hack will let you enjoy crisp, verdant bites wherever you are. All you need is a good shaking arm and something to cut open the salad bag.

The first step to any bagged salad endeavor is picking up the right one. There are a few things to keep in mind when buying bagged salads, and ensuring that the greens are fresh is a crucial one. Check the date on the bag and also take a good look at the leaves to ensure there are no soggy bits at the bottom. When you're ready to eat the salad, simply cut open the packet, pour in the garnishes, and (this is important) only half the salad dressing. Now tightly twist the bag closed and shake away! The more vigorous the better. It's also a good idea to leave some empty space near the top when you twist the bag closed so that the ingredients have some space to move around and get thoroughly mixed.

Salads with creamy dressing tend to clump up sometimes, so it's a good idea to gently massage the bag from the outside to break up any potential build-ups. Once you've given it a good shake, pour in the rest of the dressing, close the bag again, and repeat.

To eat the salad without having to dig into the bag, you can either fold or cut the excess plastic on top. This lets you reach the salad without getting dressing all over your hands. With the top cut, the bag also takes on a more bowl-like shape, making it easier to balance and eat out of, especially when you get to the last few bites.

If you like the ease of the bagged salad hack, you can also use it to transport homemade salads and mix them whenever you want to eat. This is a great option for when you go camping. Wrap your greens in paper towels to keep them fresh and place them in a food-safe plastic bag or a Tupperware container. The dressing and garnishes should be stored separately. When you want to eat, remove the paper towels, add the garnishes and dressing to the bag or Tupperware container, seal it, and shake till everything is mixed. Remember to pour the dressing in two steps to ensure all the greens get evenly coated.

This hack works well for most salads that use lettuce as the primary green and other crisp veggies like onions, peppers, olives, carrots, etc. Unfortunately, because of the vigorous shaking required, some types of salads just aren't suited to the salad bag hack. Predominantly creamy salads like potato and tuna cannot be shaken. However, these salads can generally be premixed unless they contain crunchy garnishes like croutons or nuts, which should be added just before eating. Additionally, salads that contain delicate ingredients, like watermelon and feta salads as well as other fruit salads should not be shaken as it will turn the fruit pieces to pulp. Pasta salads can go both ways and if you have one that has a vinaigrette-style dressing, you can generally use the salad bag hack and enjoy it on the go.