Before making the ultimate kale salad, you should know how to elevate this hearty green to make it more appetizing. Kale is bitter and sturdy, but there is a trick that can alter its texture, turning your stiff plate of greens into an award-winning salad.

Some remove the inner hard stalk, and others massage it with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt to remove the bitter taste, but the soaking method is more hands-off with similar results. Soaking kale not only makes the leaves softer, but also cleans them and lessens the bitterness while retaining the nutrients.

America's Test Kitchen suggests soaking chopped kale in a bowl of 110-115°F water for 10 minutes, then removing it from the water directly (as opposed to using a strainer) to keep it clean. Then all you have to do is dry the leaves before enjoying them under a mountain of fresh apples, goat cheese, or whatever you love most.