Bobby Flay Always Seasons His Salads With Salt And Pepper. Here's Why

Bobby Flay may be best known for his barbecue, his burgers, and his southwestern specialties, but like any good chef, he doesn't neglect the side dishes. Among his specialties are several types of potato salad and creamy coleslaw made with pineapple juice. Even when he's making a simple green salad, though, Flay knows that the smallest details count. In the restaurant business, there's a secret that many pantry chefs make use of — always salt the salad greens before you toss them. 

Flay, however, takes it one step further and adds both salt and pepper to his salads. The reason for this, as he shared with Bon Appétit, is that pre-seasoning the greens and other vegetables used in a salad "draws out their flavors." Think about it — the last time you ate a tossed salad, did you really taste the carrots, tomatoes, and lettuce, or were they merely a vehicle for conveying ranch dressing to your mouth? Try Flay's salt and pepper trick and see what a difference it can make.

It's true that a great salad deserves a great dressing since even with salt and pepper, naked greens and veggies are something that would only appeal to a true raw foods enthusiast. Flay is known for his flavorful dressings like the one he uses on his lobster-topped salad that was inspired by a similar dish he ate at Ina Garten's house, but he peps up her vinaigrette dressing with the addition of mayo and chipotle peppers. However, no matter how amazing the salad dressing may be, Flay believes you can still have too much of a good thing. 

For this reason, he advises not pouring the dressing over the salad, but instead drizzling it around the inside of the bowl and hand-mixing it with the salad. As he explains, "You want the greens glistening, not limp" and notes that not all of the dressing needs to be used. If you have leftover dressing, it can always be repurposed as a marinade or sauce, which is another Flay-approved tip. He feels that vinaigrette and cooked fish are a particularly good combo because the heat from the fish brings out the flavors of the dressing, while the liquid helps the fish to stay moist.