Homemade Salad Dressings

[awbrig]

I love vinaigrettes...My favorite is from one of Trotter's books, Lemon-Thyme Viniagrette...

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tbls Champagne Vinegar

5 tbls olive oil

5 tbls canola oil

thyme

salt and pepper

I use 2.5 tbsl oilve oil and 2.5 tbsl basil oil....

Im always looking for great dressings or vinaigrettes, anyone have any?

[Jinmyo]

A touch of Dijon mustard is wonderful in any almost whisked vinaigrette except one that uses wasabi.

I think that the main thing is to use excellent olive oil, walnut oil, sesame oil or whatever flavourful oil one is using. And that if one is looking for a "flavourless" oil that grapeseed is far better than canola.

And that citrus zest is always welcome.

[awbrig]

great idea on the zest, thx!

I also use dijon in my vinaigrettes but cant see using it in the lemon thyme one...

[Suzanne F]

We generally just mix some olive oil with the greens, then vinegar -- occasionally with a little S & P. Depending on what the main is, I might use one of my herb vinegars (a bunch of herbs jammed into a bottle of white wine vinegar) -- right now I've got lemon thyme, rosemary, and "Texas tarragon." Paul usually uses supermarket "balsamic," but sometimes he mixed "white balsamic" with the lemon thyme. That works pretty well to cut the unnatural sweetness of the "balsamic."

I sometimes make a "creamy vinaigrette" that was in the NY Times in 1978. I'll pm it to you, if you like. It is one of the best I've ever had.

[Shiva]

Of course everyone already knows that mustard is used not just as a flavoring, but as an emulsifier.

3 parts oil to one part vinegar/acid is the rule written in stone, right?

[Suzanne F]

...3 parts oil to one part vinegar/acid is the rule written in stone, right?

In time the Rockies may tumble, Gibraltor may crumble, they're only made of clay.

Nope.

[Shiva]

Suzanne, you posted as I was (de)composing. I go with a much higher oil ratio, as I am guessing you do from your reply.

Am I right?

[awbrig]

suz,

I would luv the recipe when you get around to it!

[CathyL]

Shiva, 3:1 is my neighborhood usually, although it varies depending on the oil. And the vinegar. And how much mustard.

I like to mince a shallot and steep it in the vinegar before the oil goes in.

[Shiva]

Yup, one 'rule' that works for me is to add all the flavor/seasoning to the vinegar first, then add the oil last.

[Dana]

Does anyone REALLY measure the 3/1 ratio? I just add oil until it looks right, then taste. Mix the salt at the beginning with the dijon, the vinegar, the shallots and herbs, then the oil. There are enough things that control our lives without MEASURING THE VINIAGRETTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[awbrig]

I measure and I think its pretty important... i take my food seriously baby

[CathyL]

Who said measure?

[snowangel]

I think taste and mouthfeel are more important than exact measurements...

[project]

  Gee, some decades ago I thought that the salad

  dressing situation was simple: Vinaigrette.

 

  Further, thought that the Vinaigrette situation was

  simple:

 

  1 volume of red wine vinegar

 

  3 volumes of light olive oil

 

  enough Dijon mustard to make it opaque and

  yellow and hold it together

 

  some salt and pepper

 

  maybe some garlic, parsley, or thyme

 

  So, when I was on the Atkins diet (enjoyed the

  lobster and T-bones but didn't lose any weight), in

  a restaurant would order an empty water glass and a

  fork, use whatever oil, vinegar, and mustard they

  had, unscrew the top from the pepper shaker and dump

  in maybe 1 T, use a fork as a wire whip, and dump

  the result on my salad. Shockingly bad dining room

  etiquette!

 

  Also thought that the salad was to be just 'mixed

  greens', which I liked to be crisp -- mostly

  Romaine, maybe some spinach.

 

  Later, shockingly, learned that there is no end of

  variations on salad dressing. One recent one, for

  dieting, is based on making a puree of peeled

  cucumber and adding low fat yogurt, etc. No oil.

  No vinegar. Radical! Destruction of two pillars of

  Western Civilization!

 

  Also learned that there is no end of what can go in

  a salad including canned artichoke hearts (soaked

  overnight in Vinaigrette), black olives, Parmesan

  cheese, cooked chicken, turkey, crumbled bacon,

  various 'croutons', anchovies, etc.

 

  So, it's all very confusing.

 

  Since I don't like confusion, I just returned to the

  view that a 'salad' should be just simple Vinaigrette

  and mixed greens and regard everything else as

  exceptions to the rule.

[Suzanne F]

When making dressings at work I always measure, because I've got to make a consistent product. One recipe I had to use was 1 : 2 : 8 Dijon : Sherry vinegar : Olive oil, made like a mayonnaise. Another was 1 : 2 Balsamic vinegar : Olive oil, with a little grated ginger and chopped shallot. Yet another started with 2 egg yolks beaten to ribbon stage, then 4 cups of oil and 1+1/4 cups of ginger juice (ginger pureed into lemon juice, then drained). It all depends on what you want it to taste like.

At home, we almost never mix a dressing before putting it on the salad. Herbs go in with the other leaves; then just pour on some oil, mix, sprinkle with vinegar (and sometimes S & P), and mix. Of course, you have to taste it while you're mixing, so you can adjust. Since we make a salad almost every night, we've both gotten a lot of practice.

[APPS411]

I like to make a simple herb Vinaigrette.

To a container I add EVOO red wine vinegar and a few drops of balsamic for sweetness. Roughly 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar, because I like a bit more vinegar kick. I don't measure . Exact measurements in recipes are just one persons opinion of taste, so why is there taste superior to yours??? Then add a tiny bit of dijon, small squeeze of lemon, cracked S&P, and some dried oregano. Yes dried. I take the oregano flakes and crush them to a powder in the mortar and pestle. Helps spread the flavor better.

Put top on container and shake it up. Great w/ mesculine and crumbled maytag.

Also like roasted garlic balsamic vinaigrette w/ heavier greens like romaine and endive.

To a blender I add balsamic vinegar, a bunch of roasted garlic cloved and a few raw cloves for a slight bit of bite. Some cracked S&P, sometime some fresh tarragon leaves. Blend it up smooth, and drizzle in oil. I use both canola and olive. Reason being, that this dressing tastes better after a day or two in the fridge and and pure olive oil coagulates in the fridge, which will prevent the flavors from spreading throughout the dressing.

Made a nice mango, orange, cilantro, ginger Vinaigrette over the summer which came out good too.

[Anna N]

My daughter wants to make her own salad dressings - small portions to take for her lunch. I have made her a batch of basic dressing - olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper. She can now shake and pour a little of this into a small container and add the herbs/seasonings of her choice on a daily basis. My question is: Why do so many sources I search suggest that this basic dressing - nothing else but oil, vinegar and salt and pepper has a safe life-span of only 1 week refrigerated? What's to fear here? Thanks, Anna N

[A Scottish Chef]

Why do so many sources I search suggest that this basic dressing - nothing else but oil, vinegar and salt and pepper has a safe life-span of only 1 week refrigerated?  What's to fear here?

Good question.

I can't quite figure this out myself, either. It seems ok to keep salt, pepper, vinegar and oils for months, but add them together and all of a sudden, after one week's combined storage, eating them might lead you to death's door?

Despite my puzzlement as to why it may be dangerous, I do find myself being wary of using such dressing if they have been kept for more than a week. It must be the nagging weight of those repeated warnings. Conversely, my fiancee enjoys Feta kept in olive oil with mixed peppercorns and herbs and it lasts an age in the fridge.

It makes no sense.

[Anna N]

...

Despite my puzzlement as to why it may be dangerous, I do find myself being wary of using such dressing if they have been kept for more than a week. It must be the nagging weight of those repeated warnings. Conversely, my fiancee enjoys Feta kept in olive oil with mixed peppercorns and herbs and it lasts an age in the fridge.

It makes no sense.

Makes no sense to me, either but I'm not into risking anyone's health. So, I guess, I just want someone to explain what the cause for alarm is - once I understand it - I'll feel more sensible in following the prescribed precaution.

[Sandra Levine]

Could it be that over time there is a deterioration in flavor rather than a health risk?

[Clerkenwellian]

My daughter wants to make her own salad dressings - small portions to take for her lunch.  I have made her a batch of basic dressing - olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper.  She can now shake and pour a little of this into a small container and add the herbs/seasonings of her choice on a daily basis.  My question is:  Why do so many sources I search suggest that this basic dressing - nothing else but oil, vinegar and salt and pepper has a safe life-span of only 1 week refrigerated?  What's to fear here?  Thanks, Anna N

I occasionally make a large amount of dressing for a dinner party, forget to serve it, and then use it myself for weeks afterwards.

Never noticed any deterioration in taste (in fact the opposite) or life threatening food poisoning incidents.

[Peter B Wolf]

.....  What's to fear here?  Thanks, Anna N

Nothing to fear Anna, except "the Great American myth created by overzealous grandmothers and the "media"

[JAZ]

I've been looking in food science books and none address this question. The closest I came was a comment in Russ Parson's book about oil for frying deteriorating when salt gets into it, but I don't know if that happens at room or refrigerator temp.

My books tend to say you can store vinaigrettes for 2 weeks in the fridge, unless the call for fresh herbs or citrus juice, which of course shortens their lifespan significantly.

But from what I've gathered, it's a matter of flavor, not of safety.

[eat2much]

Perhaps it is simply the salad oil industry using a version of the old "shampoo, rinse, repeat". If people believe that the salad dressing is more than a day old and toss it, we sell more product. Obviously fresh is always best but with good refridgeration I don't see why vinaigrette should not last for more than a week. On the other hand , in that vinaigrettes are so easy to make, do you really need to prepare a gallon at a time?