Salad dressings - wing it or measure ?

Jenise's funny comments about Ina Garten got me thinking about things I do and do not measure. I almost NEVER measure the ingredients for a salad dressing. I may mix them together ahead of time in a mixing bowl and then dress but just eyeball it. For whatever type of dressing I mix, taste and fiddle till it seems right.

When she makes it, which is most of the time these days, she wings it. I measure.

I never measure either. It depends on what type of ratios work best given the specific salad or the rest of the meal.

I make a salad dressing about once every two years, so I measure.

If I am making a simple vinaigrette, I just eyeball it. If is is more complex with the addition of lemon, maple syrup, wine, or other ingredients where the balance is crucial, I will measure. There is only one commercial dressing that I like, and it is for spinach salad, so all my lettuce type dressings are home made.

[Jenise]

If I am making a simple vinaigrette, I just eyeball it. If is is more complex with the addition of lemon, maple syrup, wine, or other ingredients where the balance is crucial, I will measure. There is only one commercial dressing that I like, and it is for spinach salad, so all my lettuce type dressings are home made.

Good girl. But let me throw a theory at you: when balance is crucial, the ONLY guarantee of success is your own taste buds, not measuring. Acids differ greatly: unless you're using the same brand of commercial vinegar on each and every occasion and I mean something like Heinz and not a store brand where the supply source is not consistent, you can put in the same amount of acid without getting the same degree of acidity every time, let alone replicate the degree of acidity intended by they-who-wrote the recipe. Even lemons aren't the same year round, if that's your acid.

So me? Never measure. I build the dressing in the bottom of the bowl for each salad and only taste tells me when I'm done.

I'm like Karen for the most part. I do always taste it to make sure it's perfect though. Sometimes a lemon is a little more tart, so I'll need to add a little more sugar, etc.

Almost always make my own dressings. The only thing time I don't is when we feel like a blue cheese wedge and then I buy Lighthouse dressing.

If I am making a simple vinaigrette, I just eyeball it. If is is more complex with the addition of lemon, maple syrup, wine, or other ingredients where the balance is crucial, I will measure. There is only one commercial dressing that I like, and it is for spinach salad, so all my lettuce type dressings are home made.

Good girl. But let me throw a theory at you: when balance is crucial, the ONLY guarantee of success is your own taste buds, not measuring. Acids differ greatly: unless you're using the same brand of commercial vinegar on each and every occasion and I mean something like Heinz and not a store brand where the supply source is not consistent, you can put in the same amount of acid without getting the same degree of acidity every time, let alone replicate the degree of acidity intended by they-who-wrote the recipe. Even lemons aren't the same year round, if that's your acid.

So me? Never measure. I build the dressing in the bottom of the bowl for each salad and only taste tells me when I'm done.

That is what I do to, Jenise...I still like to measure the first time. If I am using lemons from my tree, I only add a little because they are much better and bolder than the store bought ones. I always taste, along the way, and again after the flavors meld, prior to dressing the greens.

Never measure unless there is a dressing I like and have been given the recipe. Then I measure the first time. In my refrigerator I typically have a typical vinegar/oil/herb mixture, a Asian style dressing, a typical restaurant style caesar, a blue cheese dressing and a buttermilk dressing. If I have left over homemade pastrami around I also have a Russian dressing. All of course are homemade.

you have to taste and adjust anyway; so there really is no difference between the two methods.

I always wing it.

-Paul W.

I always wing it, too. Even when I try to follow a recipe, measuring accurately just doesn't seem to happen.

Measuring is for Pastry Chefs, so Wing it.

[Jenise]

you have to taste and adjust anyway; so there really is no difference between the two methods.

You said it so much more simply than I did.

Measuring is still just an approximation for getting a desired balance of flavor in a dressing. One still has to taste and correct, so why measure in the first place?

No matter the type of dressing I make, I taste as I go. When making an emulsion (e.g. Dijon mustard or avocado + oil), the amount of mustard or avocado determines how much oil one incorporates to make the emulsion - regardless of any specific recipe amount. If you cannot execute the technique, quantitative recipes will not help.

For vinaigrettes, I do not make a dressing so much as incorporate S&P, acid and oil into the bowl that already contains cut tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. The acidity and juiciness of the tomatoes becomes part of the dressing, so I take that into account before adding any more acid. During the height of summer, the tomatoes have as much acidity as is needed for a mixed salad, so all I add is the best EVOO and S&P.

Sometimes, I merely slice the tomatoes onto a plate, add some slices of cucumber and/or avocado, season with S&P and drizzle a generous amount of Olio Nuovo on top. We then put the undressed salad greens on the plate, top with the tomatoes etc. and the juice from the tomato plate, and that becomes the dressing for the lettuce. One nver needs to measure. Just make sure to season correctly with salt and add as much oil as you like. The better the tomatoes, the more minerality will be in their juice, and the less salt you will need.