How many bottles of salad dressing are in your fridge?

[Cricket]

Dh is always complaining about how many bottles we have floating around the fridge. We have seven - six store bought and one homemade. I suppose I could get rid of a couple but everyone likes different things. So how many do you have? (Doesn't matter what the expiration date is!)

[The Girls' Mom]

2

 

My family likes Ranch, and I prefer Italian...lol.

[Perry]

My mil has about 10, just for her and fil. She doesn't seem to get that they don't last forever. She once put a bottle of dressing on the table that had expired 5 years earlier.

 

It was probably fine, but :ack2:.

[MBM]

I do not like store-bought salad dressing. Instead, I make my own Caesar dressing, and I must say, it is by far my favorite! It took me years to find a good recipe; this one comes from the Cook This, Not That book.

[abreakfromlife]

Catalina

Ranch

Italian

Greek

Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette

Vidalia Sweet Onion

Vidalia Sweet Onion with roasted red pepper

Henri's Tas-tee

and I usually make a homemade balsamic basil vinaigrette, too

[Kate in Arabia]

We don't have any. When I make a salad I generally just use a dash of fresh lemon juice or balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and some salt and black pepper. If I'm feeling feisty I may add a crushed clove of garlic.

[Spy Car]

Zero. We make dressings for each salad individually.

 

Bill

[OhM]

:lol:

 

and do I have several of the same kind? Why yes I do. 3 ranch style, actually.

[Snickerdoodle]

I've never bought it. I like my salad plain as do my kids.

 

My husband puts hot sauce on his salads.

[elise1mds]

About half a dozen here... Italian vinaigrette, Ott's (demanded for taco salad), Ranch, blue cheese, Thousand Island (demanded for Reubens).

[Crissy]

Three.

Blue Cheese, Creamy Ceasar (store bought) and honey mustard (home made).

[BikeBookBread]

I usually make my own dressing on a meal-by-meal basis, but we have a backup bottle of Newman's Lite Balsamic in case I'm too tired...

 

BTW, my youngest calls Newman's dressings "Man Sauce"... :lol:

[Cricket]

All of you at 0 amaze me! :lol:

 

I have homemade oil and apple cider vinegar vinaigrette

ranch

italian

1000 island

annie's goddess dressing

annie's roasted red pepper vinaigrette

wishbone raspberry salad spritzer

 

The Goddess Dressing and the salad spritzer really should be tossed in the trash.

[Shawna in Texas]

Just Caesar for my husband. It was recently that we discovered that he'll eat any salad green as long as it had a little caesar on top. I usually make mine on the fly. I especially like spiced rice vinegars. On occasion, dd will make a homemade ranch, but we tend to go through that so quickly that I don't like to make it too often.

 

If anyone has a great caesar recipe, I'd like it. I think he's ready to branch out and try a different one. I can't stand the texture of store bought dressings.

[MBM]

My mil has about 10, just for her and fil. She doesn't seem to get that they don't last forever. She once put a bottle of dressing on the table that had expired 5 years earlier.

 

It was probably fine, but :ack2:.

 

LOL! This is my sister. Some of her bottles practically had sprouted legs and were getting ready to run out the fridge.

 

[MBM]

Just Caesar for my husband. It was recently that we discovered that he'll eat any salad green as long as it had a little caesar on top. I usually make mine on the fly. I especially like spiced rice vinegars. On occasion, dd will make a homemade ranch, but we tend to go through that so quickly that I don't like to make it too often.

 

If anyone has a great caesar recipe, I'd like it. I think he's ready to branch out and try a different one. I can't stand the texture of store bought dressings.

 

I'll send you mine later. I can procrastinate no longer and have to run to the store now. :)

[Corraleno]

I usually have a jar of organic ranch in the fridge for dipping carrot sticks & red pepper strips. I make all other dressings from scratch, but it's actually harder to find organic buttermilk than it is to find organic ranch dressing, so I generally buy that one.

 

Jackie

[LaissezFaire]

I voted none, but I meant no store bought bottles. We have two bottles of homemade dressings.

[AngieC]

Zero at the moment! We had a bunch until I realized that every single one of them had expired - some by 3 years.

[Tap]

2

 

Thousand Island for dh and the kids

Caesar for me

 

Sometimes we also have an Italian or Vinaigrette, but I am the only one who eats it.

dd11 doesn't usually eat dressing

[mcconnellboys]

We eat a ton of different kinds around here!

[Matryoshka]

Zero. I can't stand salad dressing, and the rest of my family doesn't want it either. Naked salad! :D Although every now and then a bottle gets snuck in when my mother comes to visit, brings her own, and forgets to take it home.

[DawnM]

I have two homemade bottles. One ranch, one honey mustard.

 

Dawn

[The Governess]

We don't buy salad dressing. I do have a couple different vinegars in the fridge though, that are used to dress salads. :001_smile:

[dirty ethel rackham]

We have one store-bought Trader that ds16 likes. We have one home-made that ds13 likes and one in the cupboard (my vinaigrette that I make up about 1 or 2 times a week.) I am not a big fan of commercial salad dressings, but this one by TJ's doesn't have wonky ingredients.

[Mrs Mungo]

Dh is always complaining about how many bottles we have floating around the fridge. We have seven - six store bought and one homemade. I suppose I could get rid of a couple but everyone likes different things. So how many do you have? (Doesn't matter what the expiration date is!)

 

We have 3 store bought and 2 bottles of homemade dressing.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Bill, it is clear you only have one child - and not at home all day:). I feel it is an accomplishment if we get all the dishes on the table on time.

[Dawn in OH]

4

 

Ranch

Honey Mustard

Italian

Raspberry Vinaigrette

 

But I did promise to make my husband some Blue Cheese Dressing, so I really need to get on that! All our dressings are home made.

[6packofun]

Can you share your Honey Mustard recipe? Please? :)

[Spy Car]

Bill, it is clear you only have one child - and not at home all day:). I feel it is an accomplishment if we get all the dishes on the table on time.

 

But Ellen, I can make a delicious and healthful salad dressing in under 45 seconds. Even my 5 year old can make wonderful salad dressing. It is not an onerous task.

 

Washing the greens is far more time-consuming than making the dressing.

 

And given the absolutely awful ingredients used in the typical bottled dressing (low quality chemically extracted polyunsaturated oils, sugars, artificial colors and flavors, preservatives, etc.) it is well worth the less-than-a-minute of time it takes to make a fresh olive oil based salad dressing.

 

And if healthfulness wasn't an issue (and it is) the flavor of homemade dressings is vastly superior to bottled dressings (which I think are vile :ack2:)

 

Bill

Edited March 31, 2010 by Spy Car

[JenneinCA]

Zero.

 

And more than that, we don't eat salad. At all.

 

Some people have issues with textures or tastes on other things. My can't-eat-this thing is lettuce. I just can't do it. It isn't taste. It is texture.

[BikeBookBread]

But Ellen, I can make a delicious and healthful salad dressing in under 45 seconds. Even my 5 year old can make wonderful salad dressing. It is not an onerous task.

 

Washing the greens is far more time-consuming than making the dressing.

 

 

 

Gotta agree with you on this one...

 

Even a decent (not necessarily 100% authentic) Caesar dressing takes me less than a minute... (it does use mayo instead of egg, but for ease of prep, it can't be beaten)

 

This is enough for 1 largish salad using 1 largish head of romaine, but usually I make a bit more:

 

2 generous TBS of mayo

2 generous TBS of olive oil

a squirt of anchovy paste from a tube (optional, but so so good)

a dash of worcestershire sauce

a tsp or so of dijon mustard (optional)

crushed garlic to taste (or if you are in a HUGE hurry, garlic powder - NOT salt)

squeeze of lemon juice

 

Mix all ingredients with a whisk EXCEPT the olive oil until very well blended

Drizzle in the olive oil and whisk until well emulsified

Immediately dress salad, add some parmesan, freshly cracked pepper, a few more lemon squeezes and voila, you're done.

 

Note: I don't add any salt to this dressing because I make my own croutons from day old bread, and they have been prepared with kosher salt.

[The Governess]

Washing the greens is far more time-consuming than making the dressing.

 

And if healthfulness wasn't an issue (and it is) the flavor of homemade dressings are vastly superior to bottled dressings (which I think are vile :ack2:)

 

Bill

 

This is so true. I'm now at the point where I can just pour a little olive oil and vinegar onto the greens, sprinkle with salt and mix, and it usually comes out tasting right. Takes less than a minute. I feel like a simple dressing like this brings out the nice flavors of the salad rather than disguising them...and I always ask for oil and vinegar at restaurants now - I can't handle the richness or the amount of dressing that they put on salads anymore.

[BikeBookBread]

This is so true. I'm now at the point where I can just pour a little olive oil and vinegar onto the greens, sprinkle with salt and mix, and it usually comes out tasting right. Takes less than a minute. I feel like a simple dressing like this brings out the nice flavors of the salad rather than disguising them...and I always ask for oil and vinegar at restaurants now - I can't handle the richness or the amount of dressing that they put on salads anymore.

 

Yep...

 

It's fun to monkey around with the types of oils and vinegars, too. Red wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar, champagne, white balsamic, lemon juice and olive oil, apple cider vinegar, etc...

 

For a while it was all about balsamic. Now I'm back to good quality red wine vinaigrette. A good caesar or blue cheese dressing is the only exception that i have, and those are really easy to make, too.

[The Governess]

Yep...

 

It's fun to monkey around with the types of oils and vinegars, too. Red wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar, champagne, white balsamic, lemon juice and olive oil, apple cider vinegar, etc...

 

For a while it was all about balsamic. Now I'm back to good quality red wine vinaigrette. A good caesar or blue cheese dressing is the only exception that i have, and those are really easy to make, too.

 

Yum! Yes, I have been known to mix my vinegars. :D Sometimes I'll mix plain yogurt with balsamic to make a creamy dressing. Or mix champagne vinegar and orange juice. Or mix red wine and white balsamic. Or add some goat cheese and chives....oh don't even get me started with my goat cheese obsession. :lol:

 

(I think I'm going to be making a nice big salad for dinner tonight. :D)

[dirty ethel rackham]

You are right, Bill. That is why we usually make our own (2/3 of ours are homemade.) However, those 45 seconds are just too much sometimes. May you never be beset by chronic illness and not have to face that proverbial straw that broke the camel's back on a daily basis.

[Sasharowan]

Italian for me

Greek for me and ds

Creamy Italian garlic for dh and the other 3

Ranch that mom bought by accident and gave to us

Peppercorn ranch for me occasionally(usually on sandwiches)

[MBM]

BikeBookBread's Caesar recipe looks good, but here's the one we like:

 

Mix well or pulse in a blender:

2 TBSP red wine vinegar

1 TBSP mayo

1 clove garlic, minced

2 anchovies (soak in milk for 10" if you want a mellower flavor -- we just skip this)

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Juice of one lemon

6-8 turns of a black-pepper mill

salt to taste

 

Then, drizzle in while mixing or pulsing:

1/2 cup olive oil

 

We also make Lazy Man's Dressing: salt and pepper on the salad, maybe some oregano, then a vinegar, sometimes olive oil.

[HRAAB]

Is there a hard and fast rule about amount of oil to vinegar. It seems it's usually like 3:1 or 2:1, yet I see people putting in equal amounts. Does the type of vinegar make a difference?

[Spy Car]

Is there a hard and fast rule about amount of oil to vinegar. It seems it's usually like 3:1 or 2:1, yet I see people putting in equal amounts. Does the type of vinegar make a difference?

 

The more acidic and assertive the vinegar the higher the ratio of oil you use. Sherry vinegar (for example) is strong, so you might go 4:1 (or higher). Where a rice vinegar is quite mild, so you might go 2:1 (or lower).

 

Bill

[nukeswife]

Currently only 1 a bottle of ranch for me and my dd to use for dip. When dh is home I'd have a bottle of Thousand Island for him.

 

I would love to make homemade, but whenever I tried it never turned out. Maybe I need to get a few recipes and try again. I really need a recipe, I'm not generally an outgoing cook who tries new things or knows when something needs a little this or that.

[Shawna in Texas]

BikeBookBread's Caesar recipe looks good, but here's the one we like:

 

Mix well or pulse in a blender:

2 TBSP red wine vinegar

1 TBSP mayo

1 clove garlic, minced

2 anchovies (soak in milk for 10" if you want a mellower flavor -- we just skip this)

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Juice of one lemon

6-8 turns of a black-pepper mill

salt to taste

 

Then, drizzle in while mixing or pulsing:

1/2 cup olive oil

 

We also make Lazy Man's Dressing: salt and pepper on the salad, maybe some oregano, then a vinegar, sometimes olive oil.

 

Ooh, I don't know which to use! Maybe both. :D

 

Lazy Man's dressing is a staple. So many cool vinegars to choose from. Like I said in my previous post, I'm really enjoying rice vinegar. I need to figure out how to expand dh's horizons without stopping what progress I've accomplished. I got him fresh outta his mama's house and it's taken years to get him to eat something besides potatoes, meat, and white bread.

[angela in ohio]

We have seven, but I keep doubles of Italian, Ranch, and French because we often entertain groups that are sitting at two tables (kitchen and dining room.) Otherwise, we would have four.

[cjzimmer1]

Technically I don't have any bottles of salad dressing. I do have 4 jars of homemade dressing. I haven't been able to find any glass bottles I like so I just use old spaghetti sauce jars. But I have honey mustard, Italian and 2 of ranch because we go through it so fast that I make extra so I don't have to do it so often.

[Gratia271]

My family prefers Caesar, and I use boring fat free dressing

[In the Rain]

We have two bottles to hold homemade dressing. We go back and forth between filling one or both.

[Spy Car]

One of my most cherished possessions is an English vitreous clay mortar and pestle by Milton Brook.

 

Place a little coarse salt in the mortar. Add a clove of garlic (maybe a an anchovy fillet) and Bang! The salt holds the garlic in place, and it pulverizes into a paste. Bang! Bang! Then add a little good mustard to act as an emulsifier (something that holds oil and a water based item like vinegar together). Add extra virgin olive oil. Acid (lemon juice or vinegar). Any other seasoning. Stir ingredients into suspension. Done.

 

Miso also makes a good emulsifier and is especially good with rice vinegar and sesame oil added to the olive oil, for an Asian twist.

 

Bill

 

http://www.cookware.com/asp/show_detail.asp?sku=WCM1111

[Carrie12345]

Always French, and always either ranch or Italian (right now I think it's ranch). The kids mostly stick with French, dh mostly sticks with the others.

 

I eat dry salad. When I really want to treat myself, I'll pick up a bottle of raspberry walnut vinaigrette and add some feta, walnuts and red grapes, but I don't keep it on hand for regular use.

[HRAAB]

Well, you all got me motivated. I made some dressing (olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, dijon mustard, salt, ground pepper and cayenne pepper cause I've got to have it). I think I could have used more oil (did 2:1) and ended putting in a little honey (from our own bees, if that counts at all). It was dang tasty. My dh still got his bottle of Paul Newman out of the fridge, but I am bound and determined to work on him.

[Spy Car]

Well, you all got me motivated. I made some dressing (olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, dijon mustard, salt, ground pepper and cayenne pepper cause I've got to have it). I think I could have used more oil (did 2:1) and ended putting in a little honey (from our own bees, if that counts at all). It was dang tasty. My dh still got his bottle of Paul Newman out of the fridge, but I am bound and determined to work on him.

 

 

Well done!

 

Bill