{"id":2682,"date":"2015-04-22T16:31:05","date_gmt":"2015-04-22T16:31:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yousaytomatocooking.com\/?post_type=recipe&#038;p=2682"},"modified":"2022-11-15T16:24:22","modified_gmt":"2022-11-15T16:24:22","slug":"all-the-homemade-salad-dressings-you-need","status":"publish","type":"recipe","link":"https:\/\/cookwithgem.com\/recipe\/all-the-homemade-salad-dressings-you-need\/","title":{"rendered":"all the homemade salad dressings you need"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>I hope by now you have ditched any store bought dressings that are lurking in your fridge. If not read this then please go and do it pronto. Your taste buds, wallet and health will thank you. Below are my five top homemade salad dressings, once you have them in your recipe bank you won\u2019t need much else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All the recipes below serve 4 people with a little leftover. Maybe you like more dressing on your salad? If so you may not end up with leftovers so I\u2019d probably double, triple of quadruple the dressings below so you have some at hand for subsequent days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Balance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dressings are all about balance \u2013 make sure you have acid, salt, a savory (umami) note and a touch of sweetness. If I\u2019m adding fresh herbs to a salad or dressing, I add them just before serving as the acid in the dressing will make them go very soggy if left for too long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve dressed your salads, give them some crunch with toasted seeds, <a href=\"https:\/\/cookwithgem.com\/recipe\/addictive-crunchy-chickpeas-garbanzo\/\">chickpeas<\/a>, nuts, croutons or<a href=\"http:\/\/www.yousaytomatocooking.com\/recipe\/homemade-dukkah-the-easy-way-to-add-fragrant-crunch-to-your-meals\/\"> dukkah<\/a>. Read <a href=\"http:\/\/www.yousaytomatocooking.com\/recipe\/the-new-salad-rules\/\">my salad building blocks post here<\/a> for more of my tips on how to build deliciously balanced salads without using a recipe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Don\u2019t just use these dressings on salads<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Toss pasta or noodles, cous cous, cooked potatoes, roasted vegetables through dressing. Children are always much more inclined to eat their greens when they have a little oil and acid on them. It is always better to dress things that are warm whilst they are still warm so that the they soak up the dressing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Keeping them in the fridge<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dressings (any without eggs or dairy) will keep in the fridge for ages. Just keep them in a clean jam jar, <a href=\"https:\/\/cookwithgem.com\/things\/the-easiest-way-to-label-your-prepped-or-frozen-food\/\">label them<\/a> and use them with gusto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you don\u2019t want to make a dressing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Much of the time I don\u2019t even make a dressing. I just scatter my salad with olive oil and either lemon juice or vinegar (sherry, white wine or red wine vinegar), salt and pepper before tossing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Jam jar dressings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The three dressings below are the easiest. Just put all the ingredients in a clean jam jar, shake, taste and adjust the flavours until they suit you. Then use or label and refrigerate until needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Vinaigrette <em>aka French dressing <\/em><\/strong><em>(lovely with soft leaves, tomatoes, grated raw carrots, artichoke, roast chicken<\/em><em> and greens)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(remember the 3:1 oil:vinegar ratio and you won\u2019t go far wrong)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>6 tablespoons of regular olive oil \u2013 I like<a href=\"http:\/\/www.surlatable.com\/product\/PRO-449884\/Marca+Verde+Extra+Virgin+Olive+Oil?affsrcid=AFF0002&amp;utm_source=cj&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_campaign=You+say+tomato&amp;utm_PID=7708737\"> this one<\/a><\/li><li>2 tablespoon Dijon mustard<\/li><li>1 minced shallot <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=a3fNBvqHbkg\">(see my video of how to mince it)<\/a><\/li><li>2 tablespoon red wine vinegar<\/li><li>1 tablespoon water (optional)<\/li><li>A pinch each of sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and sugar<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Thai dressing<\/strong> <em>(also fab with noodles, stir fried veg or rice)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>2 limes, juiced and zested \u2013 or use 1-2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar in a pinch<\/li><li>1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce (I like <em>Grama\u2019s<\/em> brand from Whole Foods). Or use 1 tablespoon maple syrup and 1 chopped fresh chili instead<\/li><li>1 tablespoon nam pla (fish sauce \u2013 I like <em>Squid<\/em> brand)<\/li><li>Optional \u2013 an inch of fresh ginger, grated (with a coarse Microplane), a splash of sesame oil<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. Lemon dressing<\/strong> <em>(lovely with asparagus, fennel, broccoli or kale)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>6 tablespoons good olive oil \u2013 I like<a href=\"http:\/\/www.surlatable.com\/product\/PRO-449884\/Marca+Verde+Extra+Virgin+Olive+Oil?affsrcid=AFF0002&amp;utm_source=cj&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_campaign=You+say+tomato&amp;utm_PID=7708737\"> this one<\/a><\/li><li>juice and zest of a lemon (possibly one and half lemons depending on how juicy they are)<\/li><li>a pinch of Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Blended dressings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Homemade mayonnaise <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is so easy to make and tastes a million times better than anything you can buy. I use it to mix with eggs or tuna for my children\u2019s sandwiches. Sometimes I stir some chopped gerkins, parsley and lemon zest through it to make a tartar sauce and serve it with fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Make a warm <em>Hollandaise<\/em> style sauce by using warm melted butter in place of the oil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>1 large egg<\/li><li>180ml (\u00be cup) organic canola oil [aka rapeseed in the UK] or avocado oil or a mixture of the two<\/li><li>3 teaspoons lemon juice or white wine vinegar (vinegar will mean your mayo lasts for longer in the fridge)<\/li><li>a pinch each of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>You need to use an immersion blender and a tall, wide necked jar such as a 500ml (one pint) mason jar to make mayo this way<\/li><li>Put your egg into the jar along with the lemon juice or vinegar and the salt and pepper. You could also add a quarter of a clove of garlic, minced to make aioli and\/or a teaspoon of Dijon at this stage<\/li><li>Pour all of the oil into the jar on top of the egg, give it a few seconds for the egg to float back down to the bottom of the jar then put your immersion blender right down into the jar so that it is sitting on the very bottom<\/li><li>Without moving the blender at all, blend for 20 seconds<strong>. <\/strong>You\u2019ll see your oil and egg start to emulsify, increase in volume, turn a pale creamy color and start to climb up the side of the jar<\/li><li>At this point, start to carefully pull your blender upwards, power still on. Don\u2019t remove it from the jar yet. Blend for a few more seconds and move the blender up and down and tilt it side to side a little to make sure everything is incorporated. That\u2019s it. You just made your own mayo! You can pop the lid on the jar and keep it in the fridge for 3 days, or up to a week if you used vinegar in place of lemon juice.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Homemade Caesar<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I love this stirred through shredded kale or any hearty greens. It also makes a fab dressing for potato salad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>1 anchovy fillets (drained of oil)<\/li><li>half a small garlic clove, peeled<\/li><li>1 egg<\/li><li>juice and zest of half a lemon<\/li><li>1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard<\/li><li>120ml (half a cup) organic non-gmo canola oil or avocado oil (I like <em>Chosen Foods<\/em>)<\/li><li>1 tablespoon good olive oil \u2013 I like<a href=\"http:\/\/www.surlatable.com\/product\/PRO-449884\/Marca+Verde+Extra+Virgin+Olive+Oil?affsrcid=AFF0002&amp;utm_source=cj&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_campaign=You+say+tomato&amp;utm_PID=7708737\"> this one<\/a><\/li><li>2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese<\/li><li>Freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of sea salt<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Follow exactly the same method as the mayo above. Put everything in at the beginning and blend away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Equipment<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You can now buy the equipment I use in this recipe through\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/cookwithgem.com\/shop\/\"><strong>my shop<\/strong><\/a>. I\u2019ve spent years testing my favourite bits of equipment so rest-assured that whatever I recommend is the best tool for the job and will give you great results without cluttering your kitchen with unused tools. I receive a small affiliate fee from Amazon if you buy via my link. The products don\u2019t cost you any more. These small fees help me keep creating all the free content I share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get more recipes like this<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Find more recipes for <a href=\"https:\/\/cookwithgem.com\/recipe-category\/salads\/\">salads<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/cookwithgem.com\/recipe-category\/sauces-and-condiments\/\">sauces\/condiments<\/a> here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I hope by now you have ditched any store bought dressings that are lurking in your fridge. If not read this then please go and do it pronto. Your taste buds, wallet and health will thank you. Below are my five top homemade salad dressings, once you have them in your recipe bank you won\u2019t&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2683,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","recipe_category":[2591,2578],"recipe-tag":[4043,4044,4045,4046,4047,4048,4049,4050,4035,4036,4037,4038,4039,4040,4041,4042,3975,3940,3749,3442,3373,3369,3370,3349,3350,3333,3336,3337,3325,3321,3312,3313,3311,3148,3144,3125,2988,2968,2966,2939,2912,2897,2882,2884,2861,2816,2786,2787,2803,2804,2806,2750,2751,2754,2755,2743,2761,2721,2706,2690,2686,2643,2616,2604,2546,2545],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.0 (Yoast SEO v22.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>all the homemade salad dressings you need - Cook with Gem<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I hope by now you have ditched any store bought dressings that are lurking in your fridge. 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