Swap Croutons With A Salad Topper That'll Give You A Crunch In Every Bite

Are you the type to call salad rabbit food? Find it hard to believe that you can actually make a pretty kickass breakfast salad or enjoy a sheet pan salad even in the coldest months of the year? Do you struggle to find a way to spruce up the texture or taste of greens to your liking, even after adding a whole bucket of croutons? Lucky for you, I'm here to share the good word of crouton crumbs, a salad topper that will change your whole view on the humble and plain salad that so many shy away from.

So: what's a crouton crumb salad topper? To understand this, you need to first understand croutons. These crunchy flavor bombs are nothing more than fried cubes of bread, which you can easily make at home in your oven or air fryer. But a crouton by itself can be obnoxiously hard, and the distribution system isn't stellar. You really only get one crouton every few bites of leafy green. Not a preferred ratio, in my book. Instead of forcing you to put all your hopes and dreams on that one rare textured bite, crouton crumb salad toppers coat each and every leaf with crispy, crunchy goodness. All you need to do is grab some air-fried or oven-baked bread and the magic can start.

One of the best parts of a crouton salad topper is its customizability. You can add anything you want to your salad topper, switching up the flavors to suit whatever you pair it with. Personally, I suggest crumbling up a cheese crisp, fried garlic, lemon zest and your favorite seasonings (I tend to go for salt, pepper and paprika to start). Crush your air-fried bread, the garlic and the cheese down into similarly sized crumbs, then add it all into a pan to toast it with butter. Mix in any add-ons after your crumb mixture is nice and golden brown, and that's it!

If you're worried about your crumbs getting soggy in the dressing, we've got you covered. People have been using crafty crumb tricks to keep their bread from getting soggy in French onion soup for ages. First tip? Don't be afraid of toasting or frying your bread until it's dry and hard. Cooking it up with butter isn't just important for flavor, either; it seals up some of the bread's porosity, making it less likely to soak up your dressing. Over time, even the hardest of croutons will sog up when exposed to moisture, but this should buy you a little more time so you can leisurely graze. You can even save your crouton crumbs for a few days in the refrigerator, but they're best fresh from the pan while they still have that peak level of crisp. Just give it a try and watch your opinion on salads change right before your eyes.