How to Transport Fresh Salads

A salad is a welcome addition to a party buffet.

Pasta, potato or composed, a salad is a welcome addition to any picnic, potluck or party. Once you make the effort to prepare a delicious salad, ensure it arrives fresh and favorable by transporting it the best way. Depending on the ingredients, some salads remain fresh without refrigeration. Salads with dairy or protein require extra attention.

Things You'll Need

• Food-safe storage containers
• Food-safe storage bags
• Foil or plastic wrap
• Glass jar
• Freezer packs or frozen gel packs
• Ice chest or cooler

Instructions

Composed Salads

1. 

   Spinach and baby greens make a salad stand out.

   Prepare the ingredients for the salad -- chop, slice or dice the ingredients as appropriate. Tear lettuce by hand rather than cutting with a knife as this helps keep the lettuce from turning brown.

2. Combine all ingredients -- except for any tomatoes and dressing -- and place in a storage container or serving bowl. Cover bowl with lid, foil or plastic wrap. If the salad will not be served within the hour, keep all ingredients in separate storage bags and combine before serving. This helps ensure the salad stays crisp.

3. Place tomatoes in a separate storage bag or container to ensure the liquid they give off does not make the lettuce soggy. Add tomatoes to the salad right before serving.

4. 

   Oil and vinegar dressings are best added right before serving.

   Make dressing, pour into jar and cover jar tightly with lid. If the dressing contains dairy, such as bleu cheese, sour cream or mayonnaise, transport it in a refrigerated lunch pack. Alternatively, use freezer packs or frozen gel packs to keep the dressing chilled in a nylon lunch bag. If the dressing is dairy-free, keeping the dressing cool is not required. Add any type of dressing right before serving to ensure optimum freshness.

Pasta Salads

1. Prepare pasta salad according to recipe, including the dressing. If the salad will be served within the hour, there is no need to keep dairy ingredients -- such as feta or parmesan cheese -- separate. If the salad will be served longer than an hour from preparation, store cheese in another container and add prior to serving.

2. 

   Try colored or uniquely shaped pasta in salads.

   Place pasta salad in storage container or bowl, and cover with lid, foil or plastic wrap.

3. Place the salad in a nylon bag, cooler or ice chest. Keep chilled with ice or frozen gel packs until ready to serve.

Protein and Dairy Salads

1. 

   Popular at picnics, mayo-based potato salad should never be served warm.

   Make the salad according to recipe, including any cooked protein -- such as ham, hard-boiled eggs or tuna. If the salad will be served within two hours, also add any dairy -- such as mayonnaise. If it's longer than two hours before serving, keep the dairy in a separate container and blend in shortly before serving the salad. This ensures the salad is fresh-tasting and moist.

2. Scoop the salad into a storage container or bowl and cover. Transport salad -- and dressing, if separate -- in a nylon bag, ice chest or cooler.

3. Keep salad chilled with ice or frozen gel packs, at 40 degrees, for no longer than two hours.

Tips & Warnings

• Transport salads in an ice chest packed with other items, as a full cooler maintains a cool temperature longer than a cooler that is half-empty.

• Keep food out of the "danger zone," which is between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Bacteria quickly multiplies when food is kept in this zone, so to ensure this does not happen, keep any protein or dairy ingredients at 40 degrees during transport by using ice or frozen gel packs.

• Salads, including tuna and potato salad, should not be kept in the danger zone for more than two hours. If the food is served in conditions warmer than 90 degrees, such as outdoors during the summer, it should not be kept in the danger zone longer than one hour.

References

• USDA: Safe Food Handling
• Fight Bac: Chill Fact Sheet