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    Home » Salad Tips & Tools » How to Guides

    How to soften kale for unforgettable salads

    Filed Under: How to Guides

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    We show you how to soften kale and make it tender and tasty instead of chewy and bitter. Get all the nutritious benefits of super food kale deliciously.

    Kale leaves

    You have to be living under a rock if you haven’t noticed how popular kale has become. You will find it in in a smoothie, in a frittata, in pies, in pasta as kale chips, in a salad and the list goes on! Unfortunately, this Supergreen has a tendency to be unpalatable if not prepared correctly.

    Do I really need to massage my kale to soften it?

    While this may seem like an odd thing to do to this vitamin-packed leafy green it helps break down the tough structure and gives kale a smoother texture and softer flavour.

    By massaging kale you will soften the leaves and makes them easier to chew and digest. It also helps release sugars to balance its bitterness for a much tastier salad.

    HOW TO DO IT

    • Either rip the leafy parts of the kale from the ribs or cut them off with a knife, then discard the ribs.
    • Place your kale leaves in a large bowl and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a teaspoon of sea salt on top and gently rub the leaves together for approximately 3 minutes. Don’t overdo it as you don’t want your kale to turn to mush.
    • What I prefer to do for my salad recipes is to make the dressing or vinaigrette and then use it to massage the kale. This not only softens your kale so that it is more palatable but it also has the added benefit of letting the kale soak up the deliciousness of your dressing.
    • WASHING KALE UNDER COLD RUNNING WATER
      WASH YOUR KALE
    • STRIPPING KALE STEMS BY HAND
      STRIP YOUR KALE BY HAND
    • CUTTING KALE STEMS WITH A KNIFE
      OR CUT STEMS WITH A KNIFE
    • Cutting kale with knife on a chopping board
      CUT THE KALE
    • MASSAGING-KALE
      MASSAGE YOUR KALE
    • UNTIL,SOFT
      UNTIL SOFT & TENDER

    WHAT TO DO INSTEAD OF MASSAGING To soften kale

    If the thought of massaging your kale is unappealing then you have three alternatives:

    1. You can shred the kale finely or chop into small pieces and let the dressing take care of making it tender. But make sure you make your salad at least an hour or more in advance to allow the kale leaves to soften.
    2. You can just mix the raw kale leaves (ribs removed) with your dressing, and let them soften overnight in your fridge.
    3. You can just make your salad well ahead of serving time and let the citrus and vinegar break down the leaves and make them softer.

    READY to try some kale salads?

    • MASSAGED KALE SALAD FEATURED IMAGE
      MASSAGED KALE SALAD
    • KALE FATOUSH SALAD LANDSCAPE
      KALE FATTOUSH SALAD
    • GRILLED-ASPARAGUS-&-KALE-SALAD-LAND
      GRILLED ASPARAGUS & KALE
    • COLOURFUL KALE AVOCADO SALAD
      COLOURFUL KALE & AVOCADO
    • CHOPPED KALE SALAD IN LANDSCAPE
      CHOPPED KALE SALAD
    • KALE AND BROCCOLI SALAD IN LANDSCAPE
      KALE & BROCCOLI SALAD

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    « How to Make Whipped Feta
    Kale and Broccoli Salad with Creamy Balsamic »

    About Anastasia

    Anastasia is a home cook introduced to cooking at a young age (8 years old) and hasn’t gotten out of the kitchen since! She had her own coffee shop and ran her own catering business for over a decade. Her love of salads developed as she was always the one responsible for making the salads for family get-togethers and friends functions.

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