Salad dressings are sauces used to flavor and enhance the taste of salads. While raw, uncooked salad dressings made simply by whisking together oil, vinegar or citrus juice, herbs, and seasonings are common, cooked salad dressings provide depth of flavor. When salad dressings are cooked, the ingredients meld together during heating to create a smooth emulsion with a velvety texture.
Types of cooked salad dressings
Some classic cooked salad dressing styles include:
- Warm bacon dressing – Made with bacon drippings, vinegar, sugar, and spices.
- Hot bacon dressing – Uses milk or cream instead of vinegar for a creamy dressing.
- French dressing – A tomato-based dressing made with ketchup or tomato puree.
- Cooked mayonnaise-based dressings – Homemade mayonnaise gently cooked with added ingredients like herbs.
- Cooked creamy dressings – Milk, cream, or yogurt-based dressings thickened with ingredients like eggs or cheese.
- Cooked vinaigrettes – Vinegar and oil emulsified into a thick dressing by cooking.
- Cooked fruit dressings – Sweet dressings made with cooked fruit sauces or preserves.
Main components of cooked salad dressings
While cooked salad dressing recipes can vary greatly, most contain a few key components:
Base ingredients
The base provides the primary flavor, texture, and bulk of the dressing. Common base ingredients include:
- Oil – Typically a flavorless, neutral vegetable oil like canola, sunflower, corn, or grapeseed oil. Provides richness.
- Vinegar or citrus juice – Vinegar varieties like red wine, rice wine, apple cider, white distilled, champagne, sherry, or balsamic provide acidity. Lemon or lime juice also supply acidity.
- Milk, cream, or yogurt – For creamy dressings, dairy ingredients like whole milk, heavy cream, sour cream, or Greek yogurt add texture, fat, and flavor.
- Mayonnaise – Homemade or prepared mayonnaise is used in place of or along with dairy for ultra-creamy dressings.
- Broth or tomato – Chicken, beef, or vegetable broth, or tomato products like tomato sauce or tomato paste act as the base in savory cooked dressings.
- Fruit sauce – Pureed fresh or cooked fruits or fruit preserves make sweet bases for fruity dressings.
Emulsifiers
Emulsifiers bind the ingredients together to create a thick, creamy texture that doesn’t separate. Common emulsifiers include:
- Eggs – Whole eggs or just egg yolks help emulsify creamy dairy-based dressings.
- Mustard – The natural emulsifiers in mustard help bind oil and vinegar.
- Honey or maple syrup – These sweeteners support emulsification in vinaigrettes and fruit dressings.
Flavoring ingredients
A variety of mix-ins provide extra flavor and dimension:
- Herbs – Fresh or dried herbs like parsley, basil, dill, chives, tarragon, cilantro, or mint.
- Spices and seasonings – Ingredients like garlic, onion, salt, pepper, paprika, curry powder, or cayenne.
- Condiments – Mustard, ketchup, relish, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, etc.
- Sweeteners – Sugar, honey, maple syrup, jams, or other sweet ingredients.
- Cheese – Grated hard cheeses like Parmesan or Cheddar add flavor to creamy dressings.
- Anchovies or bacon – For umami in vinaigrettes or warm bacon dressings.
- Nuts or seeds – Toasted nuts or seeds like walnuts, pecans, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds.
Thickeners
Thickeners give body and stabilize emulsified dressings. They include:
- Flour – All-purpose flour or cornstarch
- Breadcrumbs or crackers
- Pureed vegetables – Cooked, pureed potato, carrot, or onion
- Xanthan gum – A little goes a long way!
The science behind emulsified cooked dressings
Emulsified cooked dressings have a smooth, thick texture thanks to the science of emulsion. An emulsion is a mixture of two liquids that normally don’t blend, like oil and vinegar. The liquids are forced to mix together using an emulsifier and mechanical action like whisking or blending.
In homemade cooked dressings, the mechanical action comes from whisking and heating the ingredients together. The emulsifier helps suspend tiny droplets of one liquid in the other. Eggs and mustard contain natural emulsifiers called lecithin and mucilage.
Heating enables the emulsifier to work better to bind the liquids. It also thickens the dressing by evaporating water. The final emulsified dressing has a creamy consistency and won’t separate.
How to make cooked salad dressing
Making cooked salad dressing is simple but does require some technique for proper emulsification. Follow these steps for foolproof homemade cooked dressing:
Gather ingredients
Select your ingredients for the flavor profile you want. Most cooked dressings contain an oil, acid like vinegar or citrus juice, dairy or mayo, emulsifier like egg or mustard, and herbs and seasonings.
Prep aromatics
Mince any garlic, shallots, onion, or herbs. Measure out all ingredients.
Whisk together base ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, acid, and any dairy, broth, or fruit base until combined.
Beat in emulsifiers
Slowly drizzle in liquid egg, mustard, or honey while constantly whisking rapidly. This starts forming the emulsion.
Add remaining ingredients
Whisk in any herbs, spices, cheese, condiments, or other flavorings. The emulsion should be thickening up.
Cook over low heat
Transfer the dressing to a small saucepan and cook over very low heat, stirring constantly. Bring just to a simmer.
Remove from heat and adjust seasoning
Take the pan off the heat. Taste and add any additional salt, pepper, herbs, or acid to taste.
Use immediately or refrigerate
Pour the hot dressing over warm veggies or greens. Or let cool completely then refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 week.
Tips for perfect cooked dressings
Use these tips for the best results when making cooked salad dressings:
- Whisk aggressively while drizzling in emulsifiers to form a thick emulsion.
- Add ingredients gradually and whisk well after each addition.
- Heat gently, just until steaming and slightly thickened.
- Don’t boil or overheat or the emulsion may break.
- Use a thick, heavy-bottomed pan for even heating.
- Taste the finished dressing and adjust acidity, salt, or flavor as needed.
- Make ahead and store refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Cooked Salad Dressing Recipes
Classic Warm Bacon Dressing
This hearty bacon dressing is delicious on bitter greens like escarole or endive.
Ingredients:
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup half-and-half or milk
Instructions:
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon to paper towels, reserving 2 tablespoons bacon fat in the pan.
- Add onion to the bacon fat and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Whisk in vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 1 minute.
- Turn heat to low and gradually whisk in half-and-half. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened. Crumble in bacon.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve dressing warm over salad greens.
Lemon Herb Vinaigrette
Bright and fresh, this lemony dressing is delicious on summer salads.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, shallot, garlic, olive oil and mustard until emulsified.
- Whisk in honey until incorporated.
- Stir in basil, parsley, salt and pepper.
- For a cooked dressing, transfer to a small saucepan and gently heat just until steaming while whisking constantly. Remove from heat.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve over salad greens.
Blue Cheese Ranch Dressing
The classic creamy ranch gets a tangy twist with blue cheese in this easy homemade dressing.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- In a bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, lemon juice and garlic until smooth.
- Whisk in blue cheese, parsley, dill and Worcestershire sauce until combined.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- For a cooked dressing, transfer to a small saucepan and cook over low heat until just steaming, about 2-3 minutes while stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and let cool before serving over salads, wings, veggie dips, etc.
| Dressing Type | Primary Flavors | Good Salad Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Warm bacon dressing | Smoky, sweet, savory | Bitter greens, wedges of iceberg or romaine, German potato salad |
| Lemon herb vinaigrette | Bright, zesty | Mixed greens, chicken or tuna salads, pasta salad, grilled veggies |
| Blue cheese ranch dressing | Cool, creamy, tangy | Crisp romaine or iceberg, buffalo chicken salad, veggie dip, wings |
Conclusion
Cooked salad dressings are indeed delicious at home or the your own kitchen. The main ingredients are a base like oil or cream, an acid like vinegar, emulsifiers like eggs or mustard, and flavorings like herbs and spices. Cooked dressings have a smooth, velvety texture thanks to proper emulsification and gentle heating. With homemade cooked dressings, you can create restaurant-quality flavors to liven up simple greens or composed salads. Explore fun new dressing ideas and add your own twists.