DIY salad bars are taking over TikTok – here’s how to set one up in your fridge

Earlier this week, one of the Eat well Editors shared a video from TikTok creator Melanie Cade, also known as @raisingcades10. In the video, Cade showed people how she preps and stocks the salad bar fridge in her kitchen. She chopped up lettuce, broccoli and a roasted turkey breast, showed off containers of fried Brussels sprouts and peeled hard-boiled eggs, and gave a tour of the fridges below, which were chock-full of ready-to-eat fruit, sandwich ingredients, juice boxes and more. Cade says she stocks the salad bar once or twice a week so her family of 11 has easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables when they need a quick meal or snack.

“My mom said it’s OK for me to live with you,” said one commenter. “I don’t want to be as rich as designer brands. I want to be as rich as a refrigerator with a salad bar,” said another.

Anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant is probably familiar with their salad fridge. It’s basically a station for a rank-and-file cook that holds all of the chef’s mise en place, which are the ingredients used to prepare each dish on the menu they’re responsible for. A rank-and-file cook will fill the top containers to the brim before starting their shift, and will usually keep more prepared or whole ingredients in the fridge below so they can refill as needed. There’s a lid that covers everything, keeping all of the ingredients nice and cold while preventing any dirt from getting into anything.

So Cade essentially set up a garde manger station in her kitchen (garde manger is the French term for the cold/salad station). Is that genius? Yes, it is. But not everyone has the space and financial means to invest in a salad fridge (they cost more than $1,000).

Cade understands that we can’t all achieve our dreams of having a salad bar fridge, so she included a few photos of how she stocked her regular fridge in a similar way. And that’s when I said, “I’ll do that too.”

It all started a few years ago when I told the story to another Eat well The editor wrote after speaking with author, chef and actor David Burtka. When we interview celebrities, we usually ask them, “What’s always in your fridge?” And Burtka’s answer was quite different from the usual response when asked about favorite condiments or drinks. He said, “A salad bar.”

Oh! What a great idea, I thought. My husband and I both love to eat salad for lunch, but the idea of ​​making an interesting and filling salad in the middle of the workday seemed like too much for me. So I decided to try out Burtka’s brilliant idea. We sat down and discussed what ingredients we wanted to have on hand for making the salad. If I was going to spend precious weekend time on this project, I wanted to make sure we got to eat the fruits of my labor! Then I got to work.

I was surprised that the prep didn’t take as long as I expected (30 minutes to an hour if I wanted to be really creative). Eating a big salad most days means we get the recommended five servings – or more specifically, 14 ounces – of fruits and vegetables per day. As Cade says of her family, I know we’re all more likely to reach for fruits and vegetables as a snack or meal when they’re prepared and ready to eat – our 12-year-old has started making a salad out of the ingredients to take to school for lunch or eat on the weekend.

I have to admit, I was a little jealous when I saw Cade’s video. I wish I had thought of this myself when we remodeled our kitchen a few years ago, but I’m not sure it would have made it into the final planning. If you feel the same way, consider setting aside a little space in your fridge for your own DIY salad bar. I don’t think you’ll regret it.

5 steps to prepare a salad bar in the fridge

Here are the five categories of items I prep or buy each week to bulk up my salad plate and make eating more vegetables much, much easier.

1. It all depends on the basis

Every good salad starts with a base of leafy greens. I’m not a huge fan of the mixed lettuce leaves stocked at most grocery stores (I find they go bad before I can finish them). But a few local farms sell mixes that I find last longer, so I’ve started buying those when I’m short on time. Otherwise, I buy two heads of lettuce, often red leaf and romaine, along with a head of radicchio for color and crispness, and wash and dry them at home. I separate the leaves rather than tearing them into bite-sized pieces, which I’ve found helps them last longer. And I just tear the radicchio into quarters. Then I put everything in a sealable bag along with a couple of paper towels to soak up any excess moisture. (I’ve noticed that Cade likes the paper towel trick too. She puts a layer in the bottom of her container of chopped lettuce and also sticks it in jars of washed fruit.) Sometimes I throw in a few kale leaves too, since we like it thinly sliced ​​in our salads. Voilà – our salad base!

2. The other vegetables

This category can vary a little from week to week, but I always prepare two things: shredded vegetables and red cabbage. First, I get out my food processor and grate carrots, radishes, and beets. This combination adds color to our salads and contains anti-inflammatory nutrients like beta-carotene (carrots), betalains (beets), and isothiocyanate (radishes).. Then I thinly slice a bowl of red cabbage, which is rich in anti-inflammatory phytochemicals called anthocyanins. Other vegetables I like to prep include chopped broccoli, cauliflower and bell peppers, shaved Brussels sprouts, and sliced ​​onions (if I have time, I even make pickled onions). I usually have cucumbers and tomatoes on hand, but we just slice them when we make our salads, as I find they stay fresh longer when they’re whole, and it only takes a minute or two to slice.

3. Pack some protein

When we add protein to our salads, it makes them more filling, and we’re less hungry when it’s time for dinner. If I’m poaching or grilling chicken or cooking ground meat for lettuce wraps or tacos, I make extra so we can add that to our salads. I’m also a fan of the packages of smoked or seasoned tofu that are available at most grocery stores. When I have time, I make it myself—this honey-balsamic-flavored roasted tofu is a family favorite. Beans are also a good source of plant-based protein. I always keep canned lentils, black beans, and chickpeas on hand, as well as crunchy seasoned chickpeas (I usually buy them, but I’ve been making my own). And don’t forget canned fish—sardines, salmon, and tuna are all great choices.

4. Extras, Extras

Croutons are an obvious choice, but the sky’s the limit here. I sometimes prep my salad for lunch the next day while I’m cleaning up after dinner, and when I do that, I toss leftovers I wouldn’t normally save (e.g., a slice or two of steak, a scoop of roasted cauliflower, a spoonful of rice) into my salad bowl. If I want something really colorful and fresh, I garnish the salad with diced avocado and chunks of clementines or mandarin oranges. Pomegranate arils, seeds, and chopped nuts add crunch, as do fried onions (like the kind you sprinkle over green bean casserole) and crumbled pita chips. And don’t forget cheese, olives, and pickles.

5. Dressed for success

Not only does a good salad dressing add more flavor to your bowl, but the fat it contains also helps your body absorb certain nutrients, like the lycopene in tomatoes and the vitamin A in carrots. I like to have two salad dressing options on hand so it doesn’t get monotonous. I almost always mix up a batch of lemon garlic vinaigrette, but a few other favorites include maple mustard vinaigrette, Green Goddess dressing, and ginger soy dressing. Although I like to make my own dressing to have more control over added sugar and sodium, I usually have at least one bottle of store-bought salad dressing in the fridge, especially Brianna’s Real French Vinaigrette.