ARTICLE

Budget Eats: Delicious Salads That Won’t Send You Broke!

December 2, 2022 - 3 min read

Looking for an easy salad recipe to satisfy your tastebuds and your budget? Making your own lunch and skipping takeaway from the local cafe is a great way to save. And with the latest small kitchen appliances, you can create scrumptious homemade salads in a flash, while the latest fridges and freezers will keep them fresh, crisp and ready to devour.

With the rising cost of living, it’s not just the exotic goat cheese and organic crusted kale that have made some of our favourite salads a little more pricey – even the humble iceberg lettuce was a luxury purchase for a while there!

For a tasty and totally affordable salad, we’ve got the hacks and handy appliances to make everything from a cheap and easy pasta salad to a classic Caesar. Let’s do this!

Best Small Appliances For Salad Prep

Put your cutting board away! A food processor takes the knife work out of so many salads – think shredded cabbage for coleslaw or chopped nuts for an authentic Waldorf. Complete your salad-making kit with a stick mixer or blender for blitzing a tangy balsamic or creamy ranch-style salad dressing.

Top Tips For Storing Salad Ingredients

“It’s no surprise that fruit and veg live longer in the crisper, where a sealed compartment maintains moisture so they can ripen and stay fresh for longer,” says Peter Simic, The Good Guys Buyer – Refrigeration.
“When upgrading your fridge, look for generous-sized storage bins in the crisper that allow room for fresh produce to breathe, plus adaptable cooling that detects changes in cooling and humidity, and automatically adjusts to keep your veggies at the perfect temperature for freshness.”
Salad ingredients in particular have a short shelf life, so having a fridge that can keep them fresh and crisp for longer is a huge budget bonus.
Try Fisher & Paykel for ActiveSmart™ microprocessor tech that adapts to your daily habits and adjusts the temperature to keep food fresher for longer.
Not sure what to make? Some Samsung fridges have internal cameras to keep tabs on your available ingredients and will suggest a salad recipe to suit.

Shop The Latest Fridges

Samsung 640L Family Hub Refrigerator
LG 642L InstaView French Door Refrigerator
Fisher & Paykel 569L French Door Refrigerator

Easy Chicken Salad Recipe

For a cheap salad recipe to feed a crowd or fill the whole family's lunch boxes, this chicken salad from Tefal is a must-try. For best results, make it with the Tefal Easy Fry Classic Air Fryer.

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
4 chicken thighs
1 bunch asparagus
2 large handfuls of lettuce leaves
1 red apple, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
3 sprigs of tarragon and parsley
1 handful of walnuts
Salt and pepper

FOR THE DRESSING

2 tbsp mustard
1 lemon, zest and juice
100ml crème fraiche or buttermilk
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

Drizzle oil over chicken and season with salt and pepper.
Place chicken in the air fryer basket and cook for approximately 20 min, or until cooked through. Remove chicken and cook the asparagus for 6-9 min.
To make the dressing, whisk together mustard, lemon zest and juice, and crème fraiche or buttermilk. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.|
To assemble salad, toss together lettuce leaves, apple, celery, herbs and walnuts.
Chop chicken, cut asparagus into thirds then add to the salad. Pour dressing over salad and toss.

Top Tips For Saving On Salads

Follow these simple hacks for spending less to create scrumptious salads.

Make The Most Of Your Freezer

Press pause on your fresh produce and load the freezer with salad staples like corn, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and green beans. Buy in bulk to save money and have ingredients at the ready for last-minute salad prep – just thaw and go!

In-Season Salads

Favour in-season produce for top taste at a low price. Try mango, cabbage or rhubarb in your summer salads, and cauliflower, apples or avocado in the winter.

Savvy Storage

Make the most of temperature zones, and keep fruit and veg separate. Store produce in airtight containers, and look for fridges with temperature regulation for consistent cooling.

DIY Extras

Add gourmet flair to any salad with the help of an air fryer. Make your own crunchy chickpeas and croutons, quickly cook a chicken breast, or roast veggies to perfection.

Make your kitchen a salad-friendly one with the latest fridges, freezers and small kitchen appliances from The Good Guys. Visit us in-store and online to get salad savvy!