Jess Dang Jess Dang is the Founder of Cook Smarts where she also wears the hat of Chief Kitchen Coach. She left the corporate world in 2011 to start Cook Smarts because she was passionate about bringing food education back to our schools and family dinners back into our lives. Follow me here
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Count me among the salad obsessed!
My fave tip for homemade dressings (because my dishwasher is also my partner) is to use a lidded jam jar filled with all the components of the dressing in place of a whisk and bowl to blend. It emulsifies quickly with a stiff shake, gets the aggro out at the end of the day, and it's kind of cathartic to watch the sweetener or dijon meld into the dressing. Plus if you have any leftover dressing, it stays in the fridge for a week or so--just take the labels off the jar so you don't get really excited about the cornucopia of jam in your fridge.
I like the idea of a mix-and-match to help folks formulate dressings that will taste better than purchased dressings (and more closely match dinner). But the proportions are wrong.
Classic vinaigrette uses 3:1 ratio of oil to water-soluble components. The 2:1 recommended here won't be as viscous and 30% acid will be too tart.
I usually dilute my acid if it's a strong acid like lemon juice or vinegar.
Also would recommend an emulsifier to keep the oil and water-soluble components from separating quickly. Egg yolk is the most powerful emulsifier (you need just a few drops of it!) but mayonnaise (just 1/2 teaspoon or so) is nearly as effective. Mustard is a flavorful emulsifier. Not as effective as mayo but good enough.
Finally, would recommend always including salt (unless you're using a salty ingredient such as soy sauce). Not a lot -- it doesn't need to taste salty; but salt amps up flavors.
Thanks so much for commenting - all great points! We definitely started out following the 3:1 rule but have found that 2:1 to work quite well with a good whisk! Clearly, the best ratio is just to drizzle and whisk until it gets thick, right? :) We offer a few emulsifiers in our 10% section (mayo would be good to add to the list - thx for mentioning that!) and list salt & pepper or even a sweetener in our '+ Standard Seasoning' section to help balance the acidity. Hope that helps clarify!
I can't believe you list sesame oil in the "Oils" section. Sesame oil should be used for flavoring only (the 10% section). No way would a dressing made with 60% sesame oil be edible.
A tablespoon or two of sesame oil will do 'ya.
Hi Robin, Thanks so much for commenting. You are completely right, toasted sesame oil (the darker one) would be a terrible oil base for salad dressing. A tiny bit of that goes a long way. We're referring to light sesame oil - or the stuff that is usually just labeled 'sesame oil' which is comparable to an olive oil. Something like this. Hope that helps clear up the confusion.