Not only is a second life as a salad dressing a far superior fate than the trash can, dips can also catapult what may have been an ordinary salad to new, crave-worthy heights. You can even get a little creative with them. The main thing to consider, however, is consistency. Most dips will need to be thinned out to make them more pourable and dressing-like.
You have endless options when it comes to salad dressing. If you're not a fan of store-bought dressings, it's easy enough to make your own. With just oil and an acid as a base, the sky's the limit for what else can be done. But you can also go back a step if you want to really expand your salad dressing repertoire.
This dressing stars savory, nutty Parmesan and umami-bomb garlic, made dimensional with notes of acidic vinegar and bound together by neutral canola oil, a classic salad dressing building block that lets the other flavorful ingredients in the mix shine. As we mentioned in our review, the unique addition of Worcestershire sauce gives this dressing a visually darker hue in the bottle, while "elevating the dressing with extra hints of umami and saltiness."
A really simple way to give those vinaigrettes an upgrade is to incorporate some kind of fresh fruit into them. Whether it's a French-inspired raspberry vinaigrette or just a squeeze of orange in your usual recipe, fruit juice can add a pleasant zing and freshness to your salad, and the natural sweetness will help balance out any acidity. But while citrus and stone fruits may seem like the obvious choice, there's one unlikely fruit you need to try: blueberries.
Temperature is a key factor in ensuring that salad dressing is safe to eat, so check that the settings on your fridge keep it below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Placement is also important. The door of the refrigerator might seem like the most convenient spot to store the bottles, but as you open and close it, the temperature will fluctuate too much.
Though oil and vinegar have been splashed onto greens for centuries, it wasn't until the 1900s that enterprising restaurant owners began packaging dressings to sell to customers. In 1925, Kraft Cheese began dabbling in mayonnaise and salad dressing sales, partnering with the Milani Company, a brand already cranking out a variety of salad dressings. One of the flavors is now classified as an old-school salad dressing we don't see often - in fact, at all.
If you've ever cut beets, you know how easily their juices flow, often staining your hands maroon. Naturally, they impart their color and sweet, savory flavors into the canning liquid. While a sugary recipe will enhance existing sweetness, a briny liquid balances the beets' natural sweetness and emphasizes earthiness. Either way, this leftover beet juice will make for a colorful and flavorful salad dressing that can easily boost complexity.
The end result of Newman's salad dressing experiments was a hit. Stewart included Newman's salad dressing in a blind taste-testing lineup, and the actor's recipe won all the accolades from participants.
Andrés adds a hearty squeeze of mustard into the bottle along with a couple spoonfuls of olive oil and another tablespoon of vinegar. He doesn't measure any of the ingredients, adding each directly from the bottle for a dish-free, mess-free experience.
