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| Oil and liquid quickly separate, you want to add them to your salad before they separate! |
Have you noticed how sometimes when you are eating your salad one bite will be divine and the next may be somewhat salty or not all of the flavors are evident? Here are a few tricks gathered over the years that I use to improve my salad dressings:
First and most important, always mix your dressing ingredients together in a separate bowl with a hand whisker before adding them to the salad. Why is this helpful?
1. Oil and liquid don't mix well, when you mix them together they will mix for a while and soon separate. You want to add them to your salad while they are in their mixed state.
2. By mixing the salt with the dressing ingredients you ensure that it dissolved and the whole dressing has the same salt flavor.
3. If you are using mayonnaise or mustard in your dressing, whisking ensures that there are no lumps and the flavor is consistent. Whisk the mayonnaise and mustard with the other dressing ingredients until you have a creamy consistency.
Second thing to keep in mind is that it is best to use a glass dish for whisking your dressing ingredients. You can use plastic, but with the conflicting reports coming out about plastic reaction to food I use glass. Don't use an aluminum dish, the acid in the lemon or vinegar may react with the dish and you may get a metallic taste.
Lastly, if you are using any special seasonings in your dressing such as minced garlic, minced onion, mustard, or herbs; whisk your dressing ingredients well and store in the fridge - in an airtight glass container - for at least 1 hour. The marination will fuse the different seasoning flavors.
Hope you enjoyed today's cooking tip: Preparing Salad Dressing. Bon appetite.
Do you have any additional tips and tricks for salad dressings? I'd love to hear them!
