I decided to keep going with the salad dressings theme this week, as there are just too many great options for me to limit them to just five. Today I’d like to discuss some of the basics of making homemade salad dressings. First let me say, maybe you are not a salad person per se, and that’s okay, but keep in mind there are various other uses for many of the dressings I am posting up, such as turning them into a marinade.
The type of dressing I personally use most is a vinaigrette, which is namely composed of oil, vinegar and seasoning. Generally speaking you want a 3 to 1 olive oil to vinegar/acid ratio, though a 2 to 1 ratio can work as well. Vinaigrettes can be as simple as 3 parts olive oil, 1 part vinegar/acid and 1 part honey plus some salt and pepper to taste, to a more complex flavorful style with many additional components such as this ginger vinaigrette. Whatever way you choose to go there are a million ways under the sun to make a good vinaigrette, don’t be afraid to play around and use what you have on hand.
A homemade salad dressing made with olive oil and raw vinegar or lemon juice supplies you with a great source of vitamin E from the oil and antioxidants While both the oil and the vinegar provide a wide spectrum of enzymes, which is a great way to start a meal. In Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon recommends adding a small amount of unrefined flax oil along with the extra virgin olive oil based dressings. Since flax see oil is the best vegetable source of omega 3 fatty acids. However, it turns rancid very quickly so be sure to purchase unrefined flax seed oil in dark bottles that have been kept in cold storage.
Polyunsaturated oils are to be avoided as these oils are almost always rancid and have a very high omega 6 component. Too much omega 6 interferes with enzymes needed to produce important prostaglandins, and may contribute to impaired immune function as well as a host of other diseases. Canola oil can contribute to vitamin E deficiency, and because it goes rancid quickly it must be deodorized. This in turn cause a dangerous form of trans fat to be formed within the oil.
Moving on to the cost breakdown of homemade dressings, I came up with general overview of the cost. To make homemade vinaigrette based on the three ingredients I use the most, balsamic vinegar, raw apple cider vinegar and olive oil the cost is reasonable but not super cheap. For a 1 liter jug of balsamic vinegar, I pay $3.49. There are 67 tablespoons in one liter, each tablespoon costing about 5 cents. For a 1 quart bottle of raw apple cider vinegar I pay $4.99. This bottle contains 64 tablespoons in all, each tablespoon running about 8 cents. Finally, for a 500 ml bottle of olive oil I pay $6.49 and this bottle contains 33 tablespoons, breaking down to 2o cents per tablespoon. So for a very basic vinaigrette using 1 cup olive oil and 1/3 cup vinegar the approximate cost varies from $3.47 to $3.62. Now I am sure most people can buy cheaper olive oil than I happen to have purchased, which would reduce the cost quite a bit. If this seems too pricey for you, consider that you are getting high quality ingredients that are helping your body rather than harming your body. (think nasty refined oils in most store bought dressings, not to mention all the synthetic scary ingredients as seen here in this post.)
So if making vinaigrette gets costly, go for the cheaper fats to comprise your dressings, or combine some oil with some kind of dairy. Sour cream, yogurt, buttermilk and creme fraiche all make good salad dressings mixed with a bit of oil. Not to mention some of the creamier cheeses, like blue cheese and goat cheese. Additionally you can use tahini, peanut butter or avocado as your oil/fat base. I recently used a bit of bacon fat in one of my dressings and I think that would be a great addition to some dressings where the bacon flavor would be welcome. Just remember a little goes a long way. Stay tuned for my buttermilk dressing coming later in the week.
Recently I was making a favorite salad dressing of mine and realized I was out of apple cider vinegar, so I improvised. I used kombucha in place of it and really enjoyed the flavor that it contributed to the finished product. There are many options for the acid part of a vinaigrette, citrus juices are a very popular option that can completely replace vinegar in a recipe.
Many store bought dressings use water to thin them out. Just a few drops or a tablespoon or so can help to emulsify a dressing. For a more nourishing and flavorful method add some homemade chicken stock (or even fish or beef stocks depending on what you plan to do with the dressing).
To flavor your dressing feel free to add whatever fresh herbs, or dried herbs you have on hand. It’s all about what you prefer and what works for you. Fresh garlic and ginger really pack a punch, as well as a small amount of minced fresh onion, shallot or scallion. In many of the dressings I make I like to add a dollop of dijon mustard to really impart a wonderful element of flavor. Vegetables can add alot fun and flavor as well. Roasted peppers, asparagus, sun dried tomatoes are just a few ideas that work great in a dressing. Lastly, fresh cracked pepper and coarse sea salt to taste is most certainly a ‘requirement’ for any good dressing. That about wraps up a basic overview of making vinaigrette at home, stay tuned this week for four more dressings coming your way.
For more posts on salad dressings, check out the following;
