Taste-Off: Asian-inspired salad kits to toss and serve — or toss out

Dump, pour, toss and serve. Thanks to the ever-growing lineup of bagged salad kits, adding salad to the plate has never been so easy.

Kits come in nearly every imaginable flavor combination, and span a range of cuisines. For this feature, we leaned into Asian-inspired salad kits, including Chinese, Thai, Korean and Japanese flavors.

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Among the things we learned is that the crucial elements in a great salad are a terrific dressing and mindfully cut veggies. Large, rough cuts of super crunchy cabbage, for example, are hard to eat and don’t have enough surface area to hold dressing. Thin-cut cabbage, delicate vegetable shreds and greens with ruffly leaves are far more easily dressed.

Key when choosing a salad kit is to examine the contents carefully to make sure the salad is fresh. Brown edges on the greens are a sure sign that the salad is either near expiration or was compromised in transit.

A great Asian-inspired salad kit begins with bold, interesting flavor combinations. Greens and vegetables are fresh and well-cut, toppings are flavorful and generous, and the dressing has enough punch to pull everything together.

Bad salad kits have sloppy cuts of vegetables, meager toppings and oily or single-note dressings that are either too salty or just plain bland. The worst are bags filled with sketchy, aged vegetables that are destined for the compost bin.

Here are details on salad kits to toss and serve with confidence, and the salads to toss in the bin. Nutrition info refers to 100 grams, or 1 to 2 cups of dressed salad, depending on the weight of the vegetables.

Taylor Farms Thai Chili Mango Kit

Sweet, crispy and crunchy, this mix incorporates a brilliant array of shredded broccoli stalk, cabbage, kale, cauliflower and radicchio coated in a spicy sweet dressing. Tiny shreds of dried mango, crunchy sunflower seeds and crispy quinoa cling to the leaves, delivering utter deliciousness on a fork. 150 calories, 8 grams fat, 250 milligrams sodium, 10 grams sugar, 3 grams protein. $4.99 for 11.25 ounces at Safeway. (4 stars)

Whole Foods Organic Ponzu Ginger Salad

Delicate greens coated in a bright ponzu ginger dressing, then topped with a generous handful of crunchy chow mein noodles and toasted almonds makes for an impressive bowl of salad. This is restaurant-worthy. 160 calories,10 grams fat, 270 milligrams sodium, 6 grams sugar, 4 grams protein. $5.99 for 7.2 ounces. (4 stars)

Trader Joe’s Sweet Chili Mango Salad

Small bits of kale and tender shreds of cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli absorb the deliciously earthy-spicy dressing, but the real charm of this mix is how all of the tasty bits hold together into a single bite. 130 calories, 6 grams fat, 240 milligrams sodium, 9 grams sugar, 3 grams protein. $3.99 for 11.25 ounces. (3 1/2 stars)

Trader Joe’s Peanut and Crispy Noodle Salad Kit

There are so many great things about this kit. The greens are carefully cut, and the generous packs of peanuts and fried noodles add welcome crunch. The only flaw is a lack of acidity in the dressing. 160 calories, 11 grams fat, 210 milligrams sodium, 5 grams sugar, 4 grams protein. $3.99 for 14.5 ounces. (3 stars)

Whole Foods Organic Mango & Chili Lime Premium Salad

Those who aren’t fans of cabbage may appreciate this salad that’s made with romaine, kale and radicchio. The greens are fresh and the spicy cashews terrific. Sadly, the red bell pepper-mango dressing is so wimpy it could be served as a cocktail. 100 calories, 4 grams fat, 180 milligrams sodium, 9 grams sugar, 2 grams protein. $5.99 for 9.9 ounces. (2 1/2 stars)

Taylor Farms Asian Chopped Kit

Oily dressing and a tiny (like, are you kidding?) packet of sliced almonds and wonton bits detract from this otherwise fresh, promising kit. Tweak the dressing and double the toppings, please. 160 calories, 11 grams fat, 360 milligrams sodium, 6 grams sugar, 3 grams protein. $4.99 for 13 ounces at Safeway. (2 1/2 stars)

Good & Gather Asian Style Chopped Salad

This cabbage-forward salad is nearly identical to the Taylor Farms brand, with the same ingredient list and nutrition details. (Same producer?) They differ in only two details: The dressing is this kit is more acidic, and the vegetables are more roughly cut. 160 calories, 11 grams fat, 360 milligrams sodium, 6 grams sugar, 3 grams protein. $2.15 on sale at Target. (2 stars)

Ark Foods Crunchy Sesame Ramen Salad

So many details have gone awry in this kit. The greens are totally fresh, but the dressing is too salty and too thick, and the nori bits taste odd and fishy when paired with a creamy dressing. 110 calories, 6 grams fat, 340 milligrams sodium, 4 grams sugar, 3 grams protein. $5.99 for 10 ounces at Whole Foods. (1 1/2 stars)

365 Kimchi Seasoned Chopped Salad Kit

Super salty dressing and too much carrot make this a disappointing salad. It has a touch of kimchi flavor, but not nearly enough. 110 calories, 5 grams fat, 550 milligrams sodium, 9 grams sugar, 2 grams protein. $4.69 for 8.3 ounces at Whole Foods. (1 star)

365 Asian Style Chopped Salad

While this bag was purchased four days before the “sell by” date, the cabbage inside was brown. At a second store, all eight packages on the shelf had brown cabbage as well. Brown cabbage translates into a smelly bowl of questionable salad. 170 calories, 11 grams fat, 360 milligrams sodium, 8 grams sugar, 3 grams protein. $5.79 for 12 ounces at Whole Foods. (no stars)

Reviews are based on product samples purchased by this newspaper or provided by manufacturers. Contact Jolene Thym at [email protected]. Read more Taste-off columns at www.mercurynews.com/tag/taste-off.