Definition

Noun: A chef's salad is a specific type of combination salad, typically featuring a variety of fresh vegetables, cold cuts of meat (such as ham and turkey), hard-boiled eggs, and cheese, all arranged on a bed of lettuce and often served with a dressing on the side. It is prepared according to a particular chef's recipe or specialty.

Usage

A "chef's salad" is a complete, hearty salad often served as a main course. It is a fixed menu item, not a generic term for any salad made by a chef. - For lunch, I ordered the chef's salad, which came with ham, turkey, Swiss cheese, and a creamy garlic dressing. - The restaurant's signature chef's salad includes avocado and roasted chicken.

Advanced Usage

• The term implies a standardized recipe specific to an establishment or chef. You would not typically use it to describe a salad you assembled at home unless it deliberately follows a classic "chef's salad" formula.
• It can be used attributively (like an adjective) before another noun.
  • She makes a great chef's salad dressing.

Variants and Related Words

• Salad (n): The general category of cold dishes often consisting of vegetables.
• Combination salad (n): A salad that mixes several main ingredients, such as meats, cheeses, and vegetables. A "chef's salad" is a type of combination salad.
• Cobb salad (n): Another specific type of main-course salad, typically containing chicken, bacon, egg, avocado, and blue cheese.

Synonyms

• Main-course salad
• Dinner salad (when it is substantial enough to be a meal)

Notes on Meaning

The definition emphasizes it is "prepared as a particular chef's specialty." This means the exact ingredients can vary from one restaurant to another, but the concept of a substantial, mixed salad with proteins (meats, cheese, eggs) remains constant. It is not simply "any salad a chef makes."

Noun

1. the combination salad prepared as a particular chef's specialty