I don't massage it, per se, but rather really get into the kale using my tongs once I add my desired dressing. I think it was Patricia Wells who recommends tossing the greens a good amount of time and I probably do so at least 20 times, turning the bowl as I go. This works for any hearty green.

Nay, I boil a big ol' pot of water and dip each kale stalk in for about 2 seconds only. They end up bright green and just a tad softer

Yup I massage it. It really softens it up and takes the need for cooking it at away. I don't see the problem with using your hands, we're cooks! We knead bread, rub pastry etc. what's the difference?

We had dinner with friends last week and they served a massaged kale salad and it was fantastic.

I don't massage with my hands. Instead I use a big rubber spatula to do the job and it works great because the rubber acts kind like fingertips. I'm sure it takes a bit longer but I never liked the idea of handling food that much with hands when it's to be eaten raw.

I didn't even know you could eat kale raw! In Germany you cook it until it becomes brownish sludge and eat it with lots of cured pork, incredible amounts of pork fat and chilled schnapps. It's actually better than it sounds, but not for the faint-hearted.

You can't beat the overall flavoring and tenderizing effect of lemon juice and kosher salt. Check out my version:
http://www.careyonlovely.com/2012/10/simple-secret-massaged-kale-salad.html

I love kale in any form, and I've tried making kale salad both with tongs and with my fingers. Simply put, the salad just turns out better when I toss it with my hands!

Shrug, just seems like a waste of time. I haven't noticed a considerable difference between the times when I have and the times when I haven't.

Definitely! It takes the kale from being crunchy and bitter to soft and infused with the dressing. I'm less likely to do it with lacianto kale than other types, though.

It makes a huge difference, as does using a larger-grained salt. Like, HUGE. I just don't get the same results with tongs. I love kale salads.

If folks are afraid to touch their food, how can they even cook? Think about all those amazing pastas, dumplings, meatballs, etc that really can only be shaped by hand. Ruegelach anybody? Our hands are the most versatile tools we have. I use all my senses in the kitchen, and touch is the best way besides tasting to gauge the texture of something.

Oh absolutely! I've washed my hands anyway, since I'm preparing food, and massaging the kale is fun and makes it taste better, in my opinion. So why not?

Like jenawithonen, I've tried it, and it doesn't make a difference. To be fair, I toss my kale salads a lot (usually about 3-5 minutes) with a spatula, and I would never stop before I can see that the leaves are thorougly dressed. I don't have a problem with touching my food, but I'm not fond of the word massage and I think it's easier to do with a spatula anyway.

I think the people who don't see a difference between "massaged" and not probably aren't massaging as hard as they should. :) You can really break down the cell walls and almost wilt the kale by rubbing it with salt, which leaves the kale as soft as brief cooking (recipe here). On the other hand, in my opinion, raw kale (especially lacinato) stands up well to hearty creamy dressings (like Caesar) without any manhandling at all. :)

Not necessary... my go-to salad for kale is raw kale just dressed in lemon juice, olive oil, salt/pepper, and pecorino romano. I just toss it well (maybe 1 min) and let it sit in the fridge (or room temp) for a while (or overnight) -- the lemon juice does the work for you!! :)

I try to like just about every food, but raw kale, massaged or not, is just never going to be worth eating as far as I'm concerned. I love it cooked. But it's just too grassy greeny for me raw.

Yeah, my method is similar to @Scandiclevelander. I use a very acidic lemony-olive-oily dressing, toss it with big flake salt and let it sit for 15-30 minutes. I cook with my hands all the time, but for some reason I couldn't get into massaging it. This seems to work just as well (and it tastes great the next day, too).

I never thought it would make a difference, and then I had a friend's kale salad. I asked what made it so delicious....massaged with kosher salt. I'm a complete convert, and agree with emmycooks that if you don't notice a difference, you're doing it wrong!

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I never massage my kale, mostly because I'm too lazy. I just toss it really well with the dressing, to make sure every leaf is coated with the acid and salt (to help soften/tenderize), and then let it sit for 20-30 minutes before eating.

I like to play with my food, so though I've never made a massaged kale salad, I wouldn't have a problem with doing this.