If you're at all like me, you are cooking on a budget and have realized that salad dressings cost WAY more than they should. I refuse to buy them, in part because I don't like committing to an entire bottle of one dressing (I get bored easily), but mostly because I know I always have the necessary ingredients at home and can whip one up in a jiffy (I can't believe I just used the word jiffy. But, no, it seems right.).
Despite all these things, I somehow always find myself hesitating when it comes time to make a dressing. The reason: I'm usually in too much of a hurry to look up a good recipe, and I don't know how much oil to use compared to everything else. (The worst thing is oily lettuce!)
I was watching Chef at Home (Michael Smith, Food Network) and he was making some dressings and it all finally clicked: There's a formula! A basic ratio that you can ALWAYS count on to work! Without further ado, I shall share the love:
For about 1 cup of dressing:
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup vinegar, or other sour/acidic liquid (citrus juices work awesome, as do flavoured vinegars)
1/4 cup honey, or other liquid sweetener (for sweetening with sugar, use 1 Tbsp instead)
S+P
Plenty of other things can be added such as mustard, mayo, fresh herbs - depending on your flavor preference!
Pretty much anything goes when it comes to dressings. You can stick with traditional flavors or you can play with them. For oil you can use just about any kind, though I wouldn't recommend canola, because it tends to have no flavor at all. Some inspiration, and some of my personal favourites:
Balsamic Dijon
Miso Agave (the Miso here doesn't replace anything, it just gets added for flavour)
Orange Honey
Lime Mint
And just because I'm a dork like that, I created something I hope you'll enjoy! You can right-click and save, then print! I like to attach magnets to things like this and keep them on my fridge.
