CATEGORY
Packaged Romaine Salad
2007 CHEFSBEST® AWARD FOR BEST TASTE WINNER
Dole
What Makes a Great Packaged Romaine Salad?
Commonly used to make Caesar salad, romaine lettuce can also be served with walnuts, apple slices, and strong cheeses. With a packaged romaine salad, all the preparation is done for you—just add dressing. If salad isn’t on the menu, use leftover romaine as a sandwich filling with sliced deli meats, cheeses, or other vegetables.
Our chefs define high quality romaine salad as having a vibrant color, a fresh and crisp appearance, minimal discoloration around the edges, and no wilted pieces. Bulk romaine salad should consist of about 60 percent inner leaves and 40 percent outer leaves. There should be very few core pieces, which can be thick and watery.
Moderate bitterness will be the leading basic taste in romaine salad, while a noticeable level of natural sweetness from the leaves should balance out the bitterness. The salad’s somewhat complex flavor character will feature fresh, crisp, grassy, and vegetable notes, and the leaves should not be waterlogged or bland. As with the aroma, there should be no off notes, or unwanted elements, detracting from the flavor.
Packaged romaine salad should have a crisp texture, similar to a freshly cut salad. Romaine’s flavor should also be able to hold its own when tossed with salad dressings. In addition, the fresh and crisp salad texture must not become soft, soggy, or limp when dressed.
Product Category Definition
The category judged was defined as fresh cut packaged salad for the consumer market, not including packaged fresh cut fruit, fruit blends, vegetables or vegetable blends.
Other Leading Brands:
Fresh Express
ONE-STEP IDEAS
Toss with grated carrots, chopped tomatoes, and salad dressing for a flavorful and healthy accompaniment to meals.
Add a handful to your favorite sandwich wrap to give it a refreshing crunch.
Keep a bag in the refrigerator to throw together salads in no time.
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TASTING
TERMINOLOGY
PRODUCT
FUN FACTS
- Romaine lettuce is also known as "cos lettuce."
- Because it spread through Europe from Rome, the lettuce became known as "romaine."
- In a Jewish Passover Seder, romaine lettuce is often used to symbolize the bitterness the Israelites felt as Egyptian slaves.
The ChefsBest Award for Best Taste is awarded to the brand rated highest overall among leading brands by independent professional chefs.
