Salad dressing was something I never really thought about making myself except for rare once offs that went with a specific salad. It was always so readily available, why would I ever need to make it from scratch? Not to mention, wouldn’t it be difficult and finicky to bother going through all those steps when I could just grab a bottle at the grocery store?
I ended up deciding to try a dressing out of pure laziness. I needed honey mustard and I didn’t want to go to the store. I feel like entirely too much of my time these days is spent running to the grocery store.
Out of sheer curiosity, I looked up a recipe for honey mustard sauce and we already had all the ingredients in the house. I figured I could just make a batch and store it in the new bottles Dan got me for Valentine’s Day.
However, I was not prepared for how easy it was or how amazing it tasted. I fully admit, I’m not a huge fan of honey mustard. I’m definitely a ranch girly. But I was going back for seconds when I tried the dressing. I couldn’t believe how delicious it turned out!
As far as cons go, the dresses will not stay fresh even a fraction as long as store-bought dressings. Most of the homemade dressings have a shelf life of about 1-2 weeks. Meanwhile, Hidden Valley can last months in the fridge. However, we all liked the dressings so much, we found ourselves coming up with meals and snacks designed to utilize them, ensuring they would be used up in time anyway.
Also, the most difficult part of making the dressing recipes I made was chopping some herbs. The honey mustard you just put ingredients in a bowl and whisked it until it was smooth. As far as recipes go, making dressings is very little work for a tremendous pay off.
All in all, I would highly recommend trying out making a dressing. Just to try it. It doesn’t have to be a lifelong commitment. I will undoubtedly still buy some dressings from the store. But it’s good to know how easy it is to just make one, add ingredients until it tastes perfect to your palette, and then enjoy it with your family.
Dressing Recipes I’ve Tried So Far
Serious Eats: Ranch Dressing
Pinch of Yum: Honey Mustard
Alpha Foodie: Raising Cane’s Sauce (Copycat)
