The Art of Making the Perfect Salad, According to a Bicoastal “Salad Freak”

Like architecture and design, making the perfect salad is an art form that requires skill. What seems like an ordinary bowl of leafy greens can be a vessel for creativity to flow if you let yourself lean into it. (Think of an empty bowl as a blank canvas.) It takes a certain person to have a vision for these edible arrangements, and Jess Damuck is definitely one of them after many years spent busting her chops as a food and prop stylist, food editor, and recipe developer. In the introduction of her new cookbook, Salad Freak, she writes “The title ‘Salad Freak’ started out as a joke while I wrestled with imagining the book on my shelf and couldn’t, and lost sleep over whether I was ready to become ‘the salad freak,’ it became more and more painfully obvious that I already was.” 

Salad Freak, which came out this spring, will make you one too; Jess’s energy is contagious, her dressings are zingy, and her salad compositions creative enough to entice anyone out of an arugula-parmesan-oil-vinegar rut. With summer in full swing, salad is officially in season as the main staple on the menu. So, we spoke in depth with Jess to learn more about her favorite tools for the task of building the best salads, keeping greens from wilting in the fridge, and plating like a pro.

The Salad That Oxo Built

“I have a few Oxo produce keepers in my fridge and I can’t live without them,” Jess tells Clever. “I wash and dry my greens and tender herbs and put them in there right away. It keeps everything fresh for over a week, and it keeps greens from getting squashed by other veggies in the fridge.” She also relies on the brand’s famed salad spinner and uses their storage containers in her pantry.

Another mouth-watering Salad Freak creation: Roasted cauliflower, almonds and anchovies.Linda Pugliese

Knives Out

“You don’t need an entire knife block to get started in the kitchen,” Jess explains. “Especially for salad making, there are just a few you need to have on hand.” She recommends a santoku knife—“one made of German steel like a Wüsthof stays sharp for a long time and will last forever”—a small paring knife, and also an offset serrated knife for bread slicing and easily chopping nuts.

Tools Worth The Hype

Jess refers to the microplane as her “desert island kitchen tool.” Since she adds citrus zest to pretty much everything, the tool’s prime place in her kitchen makes sense. Of all the kitchen gadgets and tools she’s tried, she also really recommends getting a mandoline if you don’t already have one. “Thinly sliced radishes, carrots and other crunchy vegetables add so much texture to the salad when they are crisped up in an ice bath for a few minutes,” she says. “The mandoline can shave vegetables much more thinly than even someone with the best knife skills can.”

Good Ceramics

“I seem to have a lot of very shallow bowls or deep plates,” Jess says. “I like to spread my salads out a bit more than a traditional big salad bowl allows, but a platter still needs enough of a lip so lettuce leaves don’t get pushed off.” For ceramics, her favorite brand is Brooklyn-based Mondays. “Everything they make is beautiful, a bit wonky, but not too precious.” Plus, it’s dishwasher safe. She also turns to CB2 for more affordable options and, when traveling, is always looking for great ceramics. She also loves ceramics from Heath Ceramics, Louis Gruber, Coming Soon, the MoMA Design Store, Rikumo and Henry Street Studio.

Summer on a (very beautiful) plate, courtesy of Jess. 

Linda Pugliese

Jess’ Top Three Tips For Better Salads

• Store nuts and seeds in the freezer: “This is really important, it keeps nuts fresh for so much longer. Some nuts, especially hazelnuts, go rancid really quickly and can make your whole salad taste very off. Always taste and smell before using!”
• Buy spices in small batches: “I don’t buy spices in bulk, and usually don’t keep a huge variety on hand. I like to buy a few super-high-quality spices from small purveyors like Diaspora Co. or Burlap and Barrel, or order from markets like Kaylustians or SOS Chef. Grocery store spices are often more affordable, but who knows how long they have been sitting on the shelf! Quality really matters here, and keeping them in an airtight container in a cool, dark spot is key.”
• Serve in the right shape: “Bowls can work well for anything that is dressed, not drizzled, and there aren’t a lot of things that can make their way to the bottom of the bowl, like croutons or nuts. A mixed green salad, chopped salad, or really leafy salads could go in a bowl, but otherwise stick to a more shallow shape and have fun with the plating.”