1. Today there are a variety of greens available to the consumer so be creative in your choice of lettuces. Greens can be sweet or bitter. Mix’m, match’m...anything goes. Use darker greens with lighter greens, and add a little shredded radicchio for color.

2. Wash your greens thoroughly, spin them dry in a salad spinner and store them in your refrigerator in a stainless steel bowl covered loosely with paper towel where they will crisp and keep for 24-48 hours.

3. Tear your lettuce gently by hand or use a stainless steel knife which will help prevent the lettuce from prematurely browning. Lettuce does bruise, so be gentle.

4. Choose your garnishes accordingly. Delicate greens like Mache, also known as corn lettuce, should be simply garnished and dressed, or the wonderful nutty flavor of the Mache is lost. Heavier greens, such as a butter lettuce can support heavier garnishes and heavier vinaigrettes. Ex. Roasted shallots and roasted shallot vinaigrette.

5. Be creative with garnishes. Dried fruits and nuts make wonderful garnishes for salads. Toast pine nuts, almonds, hazel nuts and pecans ahead of time and store them in plastic containers where they will always be available. Use creative knife cuts to create a visual effect. Ex. Julienne red peppers with blanched julienne carrots make a lovely garnish.

6. Protein garnishes such as cheese and meat give substance to a salad, but if you are counting calories...weigh out the ounces accordingly.

7. Use fresh fruit in a green salads. Wild berries match well with chevre and feta cheeses. A fruit based dressing will make this salad and simple, low in calorie and help to satisfy your sweet craving when dieting.

8. There are five different typed of salads: Appetizer, accompaniment, main-course, separate-course and dessert salads. There are no exact dividing lines between these types of salads. Use your imagination and create...once again, just about anything goes!

9. Use the freshest ingredients for quality salads. Buy from a reputable vendor and ask your local produce specialist where his produce is grown. Several markets are now carrying locally grown organic produce and I always take advantage of this and support my local farmers. Remember to always wash your produce well to help avoid food born illnesses.

10. Choose your vinaigrette or dressing to compliment the garnishes in your salad. You do not want to mask the flavor of the resh greens. Remember, you want your salad to taste like a salad!