Salad dressings are liquids or semiliquids used to flavor salads.They are sometimes considered cold sauces, and they serve the same functions as sauces-that is, they flavor, moisten,and enrich.
Most of the basic salad dressings used today can be divided into three categories:
1. Oil and vinegar dressings (most unthickened dressings).
2. Mayonnaise-based dressings (most thickened dressings).
3. Cooked dressings (similar in appearance to mayonnaise dressings, but more tart, and with little or no oil content).
A number of dressings have as their main ingredient such products as sour cream, yogurt, and fruit juices. Many of these are designed specifically for fruit salads or for low-calorie diets.
INGREDIENTS
Because the flavors of most salad dressings are not modified by cooking, their quality depends directly on the quality of the ingredients.
Most salad dressings are made primarily of an oil and an acid, with other ingredients added to modify the flavor or texture.
OILS
Corn oil is widely used in dressings. It has a light golden color and is nearly tasteless, except for a very mild cornmeal-type flavor.
Cottonseed oil, soybean oil, canola oil, and safflower oil are bland, nearly tasteless oils.Vegetable oil or salad oil is a blend of oils and is popular because of its neutral flavor and relatively low cost.
Peanut oil has a mild but distinctive flavor and may be used in appropriate dressings. It is somewhat more expensive.
Olive oil has a distinctive, fruity flavor and aroma and a greenish color.The best olive oils are called virgin or extra-virgin, which means they are made from the first pressing of the olives.Because of its flavor,olive oil is not an all-purpose oil but may be used in specialty salads such as Caesar salad.
Walnut oil has a distinctive flavor and a high price. It is occasionally used in fine restaurants featuring specialty salads.Other nut and seed oils,such as hazelnut oil and grapeseed oil,are sometimes used.
Quality Factors
All-purpose oils for dressings should have a mild,sweet flavor.Strongly flavored oils can make excellent salad dressings but are not appropriate with every food.
Winterized oil should be used with dressings that are to be refrigerated.These oils have been treated so they remain a clear liquid when chilled. Rancidity is a serious problem with oils because even a hint of a rancid flavor can ruin an entire batch of dressing.
A thin film of oil, such as might be left on containers through careless washing, becomes rancid very quickly. Clean all dressing containers thoroughly,and never pour a fresh batch into a jar containing older dressing.
VINEGAR
Cider vinegar is made from apples.It is brown in color and has a slightly sweet apple taste. White or distilled vinegar is distilled and purified so that it has a neutral flavor.
Wine vinegar may be white or red,and it has,naturally,a winy flavor.
Flavored vinegars have had another product added to them,such as tarragon,garlic, or raspberries.
Sherry vinegar is made from sherry wine and,consequently,has the distinctive flavor of that wine.
Balsamic vinegar is a special wine vinegar that has been aged in wooden barrels. It is dark brown in color and has a noticeably sweet taste.
Other specialty vinegars include malt vinegar, rice vinegar, and vinegars flavored with fruits,such as raspberry.
True balsamic vinegar is made by small artisan producers, as distinguished from the industrial product found in most kitchens and supermarkets. It is made not from wine or wine vinegar but from grape juice, usually from white Trebbiano grapes, although four other grapes are permitted by Italian law. Balsamico tradizionale is aged in a series of small wooden barrels for at least 10 but as long as 50 years.
The result is an intensely flavorful, thick, almost syrupy, dark brown liquid. Because of the small production and the long aging, true balsamic vinegar is very expensive, the oldest bottlings being among the most expensive foods anywhere.
The familiar inexpensive balsamico vinegars most of us are familiar with are made in large quantities from wine vinegar and caramelized sugar, sometimes with the addition of a quantity of aged balsamico.
The quality of inexpensive balsamic vinegars ranges from terrible to good. The better ones can be excellent salad ingredients. True balsamico tradizionale is too costly to be mixed with salad dressings. It is generally used by itself as a condiment, measured out in mere drops.
Quality Factors
Vinegars should have a good,clean,sharp flavor for their type. Strength of acidity determines the tartness of the vinegar-and of the dressing made from it. Most salad vinegars are about 5 percent acidity, but some range as high as 7 or 8 percent.
Read the label for this information.Vinegar that is too strong should be diluted with a little water before it is measured for a recipe. White vinegar is used when a completely neutral flavor is desired for a dressing.
Other vinegars are used for their characteristic flavors.Wine vinegars are usually preferred for the best-quality oil-and-vinegar dressings.
LEMON JUICE
Fresh lemon juice may be used in place of or in addition to vinegar in some preparations, when its flavor is desired.
EGG YOLK
Egg yolk is an essential ingredient in mayonnaise and other emulsified dressings. For safety,pasteurized eggs should be used and the finished product should be refrigerated to guard against spoilage.
SEASONINGS AND FLAVORINGS
Nearly any herb or spice can be used in salad dressings. Fresh herbs are preferable to dried herbs as flavorings,especially when the dressings are used for simple,light mixed green salads.
Remember that dried herbs and spices need extra time to release their flavors if they are not heated in the product.This is why most dressings are best made at least two or three hours before serving.
Other ingredients added for flavoring include mustard, ketchup,Worcestershire sauce,and various kinds of cheeses. A note on blue cheese and Roquefort cheese:Many restaurants sell what they call Roquefort dressing when it is actually blue cheese dressing.
Roquefort is a brand name for a special kind of blue cheese made in Roquefort,France.It is made of sheep’s milk, has a distinctive taste,and is expensive.Do not use the term Roquefort for blue cheese dressings unless you are actually using this brand of cheese.
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