Prep & Assembly
Toss
Lift and turn ingredients to coat them lightly and evenly
Tossing lifts and turns ingredients — a salad in dressing, pasta in sauce, vegetables in oil — to coat them evenly without crushing or overmixing. It's a gentle, lofting motion. Use two utensils or the wrist-flip of a pan, and toss just until everything is lightly and evenly coated.
Tossing lifts and turns ingredients — salad in dressing, pasta in sauce, veg in oil — to coat them evenly without crushing or overmixing. It's a gentle, lofting motion. Use two utensils or the wrist-flip of a pan, and toss just until lightly coated.
- Difficulty
- Easy
How to do it
- 1
Add the dressing, sauce, or oil to the food.
- 2
Lift from the bottom and let it fall back.
- 3
Repeat, turning the bowl or pan as you go.
- 4
Stop once everything is lightly, evenly coated.
Common uses
Tips & pitfalls
- Dress salads just before serving so they don't wilt.
- Toss pasta with sauce in the pan so it clings and emulsifies.
- Don't drown it — add dressing a little at a time.
Good to know
- Tool
- Two spoons, tongs, or the pan itself
- Best for
- Salads, pasta, roasted veg
- Cue
- Evenly coated, nothing crushed
Also called
toss together
Dishes that rely on it
Related
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Mash
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Grate
Shred food into fine bits against a sharp-toothed surface