Dressing goes in a separate jar

The trick is to keep the dressing out of the salad until you’re ready to eat. If it touches the greens even a couple hours early, the acid and oil start breaking down the leaves, and you get a soggy, sad mess no topping can save.

Pack the dressing in a small leakproof container on the side. Same goes for wet toppings like tomatoes, cucumber, or roasted peppers. Dry stuff — nuts, cheese, croutons, grilled chicken — can go right on top without hurting anything.

Also, make sure the greens are really dry before they go in the box. Spin them well or pat them with a towel. A folded paper towel sitting in the container helps absorb extra moisture and keep things crisp.

Then when lunchtime hits, dump the dressing on, toss, and eat. Your salad will taste like it was just made — because it kind of is.