What is a Pressed Salad?

By now many of you have heard that you can use your TofuXpress to make pressed salads. For those of you who may not know what a pressed salad is we are here to share the basics on and the benefits of pressed salads.

What is a Pressed Salad?

Pressed salads are very similar to traditional salads, the key separation is that the pressed salad components are compressed to change texture, increase flavor, and add health benefits. These types of salads are common in Macrobiotic and Raw Food diets and have Japanese origins.

Benefits of Pressed Salads:

Pressing fruits and vegetables before eating them helps break down some of the hard to digest fibers, an action that would regularly be achieved by cooking the vegetables.
Pressing salads, rather than cooking, preserves and promotes enzymes, which are said to aid in digestion and promote a healthy immune system.
Pressing over cooking also helps to maintain the coolness and crunch of a traditional salad.
You may also notice that you end up needing less salad dressing. The act of pressing encourages a slight fermentation and allows more moisture to be released from the ingredients- resulting in a mingling of flavors and juices lightly coating the entire dish.

Pressed Salad Tips:

Chop ingredients into small strips to increase the benefits of pressing
Press the salads minimally for 1/2 hour but try not to exceed 3 hours of pressing
Use light vinaigrette dressings, or simply squeeze half of a lemon over the salad and lightly salt

Press foods like: spinach, cabbage, onions, celery, radishes, carrots, cucumbers, apples and pears in your TofuXpress with the light tension spring to enjoy the health benefits of pressed salads or to spice up your boring regular salad today.