# Olive Garden AYCE salad, why is it so good, why can't I make it that good at home? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 12, 2020, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-garden-ayce-salad-why-is-it-so-good-why-cant-i-make-it-that-good-at-home/855519 "2020-06-12T05:17:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-garden-ayce-salad-why-is-it-so-good-why-cant-i-make-it-that-good-at-home/855519/1 "2020-06-12T05:17:03Z")
Seriously. Iceberg, little bit of tomato, red onion, way too many croutons, black olives. I have their dressing at home, but my homemade Olive Garden salad is never as good as at the restaurant. And there’s really no reason I can think of for that. I don’t get the grated cheese at the restaurant, and I don’t add it at home. So what’s the deal, what am I missing? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-garden-ayce-salad-why-is-it-so-good-why-cant-i-make-it-that-good-at-home/855519/3 "2020-06-12T11:17:20Z")
Iceburg? I thought it was Romaine? Or a Romaine Iceburg mix. Usually the main dif between home and out was generally the dressing. I didn’t know they sold their dressing =) ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-garden-ayce-salad-why-is-it-so-good-why-cant-i-make-it-that-good-at-home/855519/4 "2020-06-12T13:55:28Z")
Are you rinsing the salad? Also, get a salad spinner if you don’t already have one. The bottled salad dressing may have preservatives in it the restaurant may not have. (WAG) ---
**Author:** ![PackerMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@PackerMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PackerMan)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-garden-ayce-salad-why-is-it-so-good-why-cant-i-make-it-that-good-at-home/855519/5 "2020-06-12T14:54:42Z")
Most likely answer is salt. Restaurants use a shit load of salt on everything, including salads. Try adding s Another factor could be the spicy peppers that are on the salad. Even if you don’t eat them, some of the spicy brine gets included in the mix. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-garden-ayce-salad-why-is-it-so-good-why-cant-i-make-it-that-good-at-home/855519/6 "2020-06-12T15:13:54Z")
> [@PackerMan](#): > > Most likely answer is salt. Restaurants use a shit load of salt on everything, including salads. Took the words right out of my mouth. Yup, try adding some salt, more than you think it needs. Also, let your ingredients rest outside the fridge a little bit. Cold tomatoes and olives don’t have as much flavor as room-temperature ones. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-garden-ayce-salad-why-is-it-so-good-why-cant-i-make-it-that-good-at-home/855519/7 "2020-06-12T15:24:04Z")
If it’s salt, it’s gotta be in the dressing. No way they are adding extra salt directly to the salad. Also, salt is so easily recognized, if that’s the ingredient missing, people immediately know it. (typically) ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-garden-ayce-salad-why-is-it-so-good-why-cant-i-make-it-that-good-at-home/855519/8 "2020-06-12T16:01:32Z")
It’s also possible that you’re just experiencing something akin to the “ballpark hot dog” effect. Taste is subjective and perception and enjoyment of it can be influenced by all sorts of other factors. It might be that the experience of dining out and/or specific sensory memory triggers of particularly pleasant experiences you’ve had at Olive Garden make the food there _seem_ to taste better even if there’s no objective difference in the ingredients or preparation. Or, yeah, it’s the salt. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-garden-ayce-salad-why-is-it-so-good-why-cant-i-make-it-that-good-at-home/855519/9 "2020-06-12T16:39:00Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > If it’s salt, it’s gotta be in the dressing. No way they are adding extra salt directly to the salad. > Also, salt is so easily recognized, if that’s the ingredient missing, people immediately know it. (typically) Jacques Pepin encouraged cooks to salt and pepper their salads, because, as a paraphrase “greens don’t come from the ground seasoned”. I always salt and pepper my salads. You don’t taste the salt but salad tastes better. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-garden-ayce-salad-why-is-it-so-good-why-cant-i-make-it-that-good-at-home/855519/10 "2020-06-12T16:43:51Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Jacques Pepin famously encouraged cooks to salt and pepper their salads, because, as an paraphrase “greens don’t come from the ground seasoned”. I always salt and pepper my salads. You don’t taste the salt but salad tastes better. Okay, I’m gonna have to try this with my salad this evening. I’ve never done it because salt on salad sounds weird to me. Love pepper though. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-garden-ayce-salad-why-is-it-so-good-why-cant-i-make-it-that-good-at-home/855519/11 "2020-06-12T16:45:30Z")
Not too much, just a sprinkle. I’ll often eat it without dressing, it’s so flavorful ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-garden-ayce-salad-why-is-it-so-good-why-cant-i-make-it-that-good-at-home/855519/12 "2020-06-12T17:18:38Z")
Could the temperature of the lettuce have any effect? I have this vague memory of asking a similar question once and being told that they almost freeze the lettuce. ---
**Author:** ![Frazzled](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frazzled/32/3368_2.png) [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olive-garden-ayce-salad-why-is-it-so-good-why-cant-i-make-it-that-good-at-home/855519/13 "2020-06-12T18:49:32Z")
Whenever something just doesn’t taste _good_ there are 2 things you can try. First, as everybody else mentions, is salt (or sugar). A little salt amplifies the flavor of the food. If it still tastes like something is missing then that’s usually an acid. Try squeezing a little fresh lemon juice on the salad after you put the dressing on - I bet that will make a world of difference.