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Bottled Salad Dressing


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But I always think that fresh garlic and fresh herbs sitting for ages in a bottle, under the weight of an oil and vinegar, must disintegrate to some extent ... no??

It might just make the vinaigrette taste great though, like an infused oil or whatnot.

"Sitting for ages" brings new meaning to "fresh." As for infused oils, I've been under the impression that they have a shortish shelf life. At least the "fresh" ones do.

Robert Buxbaum

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Recent WorldTable posts include: comments about reporting on Michelin stars in The NY Times, the NJ proposal to ban foie gras, Michael Ruhlman's comments in blogs about the NJ proposal and Bill Buford's New Yorker article on the Food Network.

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"Sitting for ages" brings new meaning to "fresh." As for infused oils, I've been under the impression that they have a shortish shelf life. At least the "fresh" ones do.

Thanks for what appears to be validation on my idea of using fresh salad dressing on fresh leaves ... bottled just can not begin to compete . :sad: .. and I also "rinse" my Maille "emptyish" bottles out with some vinegar to prepare a great dressing! :biggrin: Thanks, Bux!

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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We don't have any bottled salad dressing in the refrigerator. I just make dressing as we need it. To me, most of the bottled dressings have a nasty soy oil flavor or just don't taste fresh.

"Hey, don't borgnine the sandwich." -- H. Simpson

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There are a couple of bottles of some kind of dressing in my fridge. They belong to my wife, for the times I do Asian dressing.

Most of the time I either make a Maple Balsmic with Feta (one of my trademarks) or Fresh Ceaser. For one of my Asian dressing I do break down and normally use prefab mayo :blink:

If nothing else I do the Lemon and EVOO or Balsamic and EVOO.

Never trust a skinny chef

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Bottled salad dressings make as much sense to me as "Salad In A Jar".

I would buy salad in a jar. I loathe making them but several of my household eaters demand them. I like to eat them, and find them interesting, but take little pleasure in making them.

After I cleaned my plate I could have this delicious treat.

We have some Ranch (carrot dipping and so forth, now that I think about it I have never seen one of my family actually put it on a salad).

A couple of kinds of vinegarettes concocted by my wife.

A big honking mason jar full of poppyseed dressing for adding to my favorite salad:Butter Lettuce, Grapefruit, and Avacado with a little thin, not too sweet poppyseed dressing.

Brooks Hamaker, aka "Mayhaw Man"

There's a train everyday, leaving either way...

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Three bottles:

The ubiquitous Hidden Valley Ranch. Yeah, I like it, and so does my husband.

Marie's Super Blue Cheese. Very blue cheesy.

Someone's chipotle cheddar stuff I bought on a whim because it sounded like it could be interesting. Not enough chipotle to taste, not enough cheddar to taste, and WAY too sweet. I don't know why I'm saving it - it's probably going into the garbage.

One bottle in the pantry: Annie's Goddess. Will get opened as space and whim permits.

Do I get any bonus points because I also have a small container of leftover homemade balsamic vinaigrette that I served over heirloom tomatoes and mozzarella tonight?

Marcia.

Don't forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he wanted...he lived happily ever after. -- Willy Wonka

eGullet foodblog

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NO NO NO NO NO NO NO.

No bottled dressings. An unbelievable statistic! (I do have jarred mayo, but that doesn't count).

Do you also have jarred ketchup? Any pickles? Then you have jarred salad dressing.

"He could blanch anything in the fryolator and finish it in the microwave or under the salamander. Talented guy."

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UGH. There's nothing wrong with having jarred salad dressing on-hand - sure, it's expensive, it's sweetened, it's not hand-whisked by virgins during a full moon, blah blah blah. But it takes up almost no room in the fridge, it's good to give guests options, and sometimes it's just what you want. Who cares? I fail to see why it's regarded as a skeleton in the foodie closet.

I make the same side salad over and over - cress with lemon, olive oil, parmesan and anchovy, or sometimes greens with sesame oil, rice vinegar, sugar and Korean chile powder. That said, sometimes nothing will do but Wishbone Italian (served on iceberg lettuce and carrot shreds by my mom at any "American-style" meal we had :smile:)

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Do you also have jarred ketchup? Any pickles? Then you have jarred salad dressing.

Do hot dogs and burgers count as salad now? Man, the Atkins thing has really gone too far!

"I think it's a matter of principle that one should always try to avoid eating one's friends."--Doctor Dolittle

blog: The Institute for Impure Science

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How long does bottled salad dressing stay good in the fridge?

I have several bottles in there, collected at random from guests who've brought potluck salads, etc. Some of those bottles are getting quite senior. The sell-by dates are past, but they still smell and taste okay. I use them occasionally, so don't want to just toss them. I figure that oil, vinegar, etc. aren't going to poison me, but you never know, I guess...

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My sister brings me yummy Cafe Geneva Swiss style salad dressing when she goes to Florida. It must be kept refrigerated at all times. They also make a Greek version with feta that is delicious. Cannot find outside of FL and there is no web site :angry:

Any Floridians know what I'm talking about?

I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.

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How long does bottled salad dressing stay good in the fridge?

Consult ye the Periodic Table of Condiments!

Two months for vinaigrette? I don't quite buy that: the bottle has been in there for closer to two years and still seems okay. Maybe it's because of all the preservative that Paul Newman stuffs into his salad dressing?

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I am suspicious of bottled dressings because they seem to have a lot of non-nutritional filler and sugar. My wife likes 'em anyway, mostly because my dressings tend to be strong vinagrettes that make her wince. Adding superfine sugar to my vinegar of choice that day seems to be winning her over. :hmmm:

"I took the habit of asking Pierre to bring me whatever looks good today and he would bring out the most wonderful things," - bleudauvergne

foodblogs: Dining Downeast I - Dining Downeast II

Portland Food Map.com

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I haven't bought a bottle of salad dressing in years, but that's not because I have anything against them, exactly. I just don't make the sort of tossed green salad they're designed for very often. When I do, I have probably a dozen vinegars and oils with which to make one.

My sister has some that are pretty good, although some are a little sweet. Girard's makes pretty decent vinaigrette, for example.

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I only use a vinaigrette dressing I make in Temaire mustard bottles. It takes no time to whip up.

I also have Hellman's Lite mayo.

The Frugal Gourmet in one of his books had a recipe for a salad dressing using milk, mayo, cottage cheese, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and dill which I make occasionally even though it means using up shelf space on the refridgerator door for a container of cottage cheese which will eventually be thrown out, even though only half a cup was used. I rarely even use the whole bottle of dresssing after I make it. Eventually it gets to looking offish at which point I throw it out.

Arey the Anosmic

"A fool", he said, "would have swallowed it". Samuel Johnson

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Do you also have jarred ketchup?  Any pickles?  Then you have jarred salad dressing.

I don't have any jarred salad dressing. I do have pickles and ketchup. I don't think that counts as salad dressing.

I do have 5 bottles of maple syrup, though!

Once I bought the ranch dressing powder at Costco (in a big jar), but it tasted like cigarette ashes, so I threw it away. I used to buy salad dressing, but once I found out how easy it was to make, and how fresh it tasted, I stopped buying dressing.

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I only started making my own salad dressing last month. I have a bottle of Kraft Ranch (otherwise known as White Trash Ketchup) and Kraft Peppercorn Ranch. I had Kraft Cheese Ranch as well but it tastes really gross and I threw it out. I usually had a bottle of Kraft Italian in my shelf because I used to use it to marinate flank steak but I haven't done that in a long time. I also have Wishbone Red Wine Vinaigrette that I used in a disgusting recipe for peanut sauce (don't ask) and now I have half a bottle left, I don't know what to do with it--it's mostly corn syrup.

Also, Hellman's Mayonnaise and Miracle Whip (husband/son prefer it to mayonnaise for sandwiches, although I won't use it in cooking).

Rachel Sincere
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My sister brings me yummy Cafe Geneva Swiss style salad dressing when she goes to Florida. It must be kept refrigerated at all times. They also make a Greek version with feta that is delicious. Cannot find outside of FL and there is no web site  :angry:

Any Floridians know what I'm talking about?

No, but I am trying to find out. :smile: I'll be on the look-out in the specialty food stores I go to. Or, do you know... does she buy it in FL supermarkets?

I did find this recipe:

Title: SWISS "FRENCH" SALAD DRESSING

Categories: Swiss, Salads

Yield: 8 servings

1 ts Salt

Fresh-ground pepper

1 ts Mustard

10 fl Olive oil

1 ts Sugar

3 1/2 fl Vinegar

1    Egg, or

2 tb Cream

Stock or water

Blend together all the ingredients except the stock or water in a blender or food processor until quite smooth.  Add enough stock or water to give a lightly coating consistency.  Put in a screwtop jar and keep in the refrigerator.  Use within 3-4 days.

(from A TASTE OF SWITZERLAND, Sue Style)

Life is short; eat the cheese course first.

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i don't have any jarred salad dressings because oil and vinegar is more appealing and easier for me. sometimes i'll make an actual vinaigrette and keep some in a jar in the fridge, but that's the extent of my salad dressings.

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No, but I am trying to find out. :smile: I'll be on the look-out in the specialty food stores I go to. Or, do you know... does she buy it in FL supermarkets?

I did find this recipe:

Title: SWISS "FRENCH" SALAD DRESSING

Categories: Swiss, Salads

Yield: 8 servings

1 ts Salt

Fresh-ground pepper

1 ts Mustard

10 fl Olive oil

1 ts Sugar

3 1/2 fl Vinegar

1    Egg, or

2 tb Cream

Stock or water

Blend together all the ingredients except the stock or water in a blender or food processor until quite smooth.  Add enough stock or water to give a lightly coating consistency.  Put in a screwtop jar and keep in the refrigerator.  Use within 3-4 days.

(from A TASTE OF SWITZERLAND, Sue Style)

Thanks for that recipe! That sounds a lot like what's in the bottles my sister brings me (and her friends!) Seriously, I could drink this stuff, it's that good. I think she gets it in a regular grocery store - she visits the Cocoa Beach area.

Thanks again for the recipe!

I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.

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What about Marie's Blue Cheese? I love that stuff. Especially the Super Chunky or Extra Cheesy or whatever it's called. Great on BLT's.

I keep Good Seasons dry mix around (but I get the Safeway brand - way cheaper and exactly the same ingredient list) to make "Italian Beef" in the Crockpot.

I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.

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