As their name indicates, fruit salads have fruits as their main ingredients. They are popular as appetizer salads, as dessert salads, and as part of combination luncheon plates, often with a scoop of cottage cheese or other mild-tasting protein food.
Guidelines for Making Fruit Salads
Fruit salads are often arranged rather than mixed or tossed because most fruits are delicate and easily broken. An exception is the Waldorf salad, made of firm apples mixed with nuts, celery, and a mayonnaise-based dressing.
Broken or less attractive pieces of fruit should be placed at the bottom of the salad, with the more attractive pieces arranged on top.
Some fruits discolor when cut and should be dipped into an acid such as tart fruit juice . See for pre-preparation guidelines for individual fruits.
Fruits do not hold as well as vegetables after being cut. If both vegetable and fruit salads are being prepared for a particular meal service, the vegetable salads should usually be prepared first.
Drain canned fruits well before including them in the salad, or the salad will be watery and sloppy. The liquid from the canned fruit may be reserved for use in fruit salad dressing or other preparations.
Dressings for fruit salads are often slightly sweet, but a little tartness is usually desirable as well. Fruit juices are often used in dressings for fruit salad.
