Eight Ways to Build a Better Salad with Chef Hugh Acheson

Earlier this week, we sat down with Hugh Acheson, a Georgia-based chef who is working with Newman's Own Greens for Good recipe contest. Read more about it the contest here. Acheson is a big fan of a good salad, especially this time of year when produce is abundant and amazingly delicious.

Here are Acheson's tips for building a better salad:

1. Store your lettuces in sealable plastic bags wrapped a damp paper towel.

2. Expand your vision of the crouton: Bagel chips and crisp farro can play the role of good crispness in salads.

3. Make a salad based on what you have in the refrigerator and not what you think you need.

4. Add crisp apple or pear and some good cheese and make that salad a full meal.

5. Use your lonely and forgotten fridge pickles up in salads.

6. Recreate tastes from classic dishes: The Italian sub salad is a beautiful thing; make a salad of salami, crisp lettuce, cheese, pepperoncini, tomatoes, oregano.

7. Sesame seeds make things awesome.

8. Crisping tofu in the oven is an easy way to get protein into any salad.

Read more:

• Our best Superfast salads
• 39 Whole-Grain Salads
• Summer Salad Recipes