When making homemade salad dressing, many cooks prefer to use an acidic ingredient as a base. Vinegar is a common choice, or concentrated lemon juice may be used as an alternative. When choosing herbs for the dressing, it's best to use freshly minced or chopped varieties. The container or mixing bowl that is used for mixing the salad dressing is equally important. Metal bowls may cause the dressing to take on a metallic taste, so it is best to use glass, stoneware, or ceramic.
Not every homemade salad dressing has to be prepared with an acidic ingredient. Some homemade dressings may be created with naturally sweet ingredients, such as fruit. Exotic fruits like mango or papaya make good choices to puree for homemade salad dressings. This may be used as a sauce or dressing over fruit salads.
Using a blender is recommended for easy mixing of fresh fruit. Any fruit used for homemade salad dressing should be diced up into small pieces before being placed into the blender. If apples are to be used for a salad dressing, they need to be peeled before being blended.
Homemade salad dressing can be prepared a number of ways, using a variety of ingredients or a few simple ones. For those who wish to make healthy homemade salad dressing, low fat ingredients may be used. To sweeten an acidic mixture, a sugar substitute such as aspartame may be used in place of sugar. For people on low-sodium diets, salt substitutes may be used when making homemade salad dressing.
It's a good idea to use small single-serving jars for storing and serving homemade salad dressing. These jars or containers should have an airtight lid. To maintain freshness, it's best to refrigerate the homemade dressing after mixing it.
Those who enjoy preparing homemade salad dressings on a regular basis may wish to plant an herb garden. Fresh herbs such as basil, oregano, and thyme can be homegrown effortlessly in a small area. These ingredients make good choices for homemade salad dressing, as they are very flavorful and appropriate for various types of dressings.
For making homemade buttermilk salad dressing, sour cream must be used. Some people prefer to make their own homemade sour cream for salad dressings. Keep in mind that homemade sour cream may be high in fat and calories.