Dressing Your Salad
By Dorothy Jones
Although they are usually better for us in the raw, most
of us prefer our salads clothed with a dressing of some sort.
Getting a salad dressed at home usually is not something we
think about; we either don’ it with a mixture mom taught us
or use a favorite mixture from a bottle. In restaurants, however,
we sometimes enter uncharted waters and are presented with an
array of dressings about which we know little. To help answer
any sartorial questions that might arise about dressing a salad,
we offer the following words of wisdom. After all, you do not
want your mixed salad wearing shorts and a T-shirt when it should
be in a coat and tie.
The simplest of all salad dressings is a combination
of oil and vinegar (or lemon juice), called “vinaigrette” in
France and sometimes “French Dressing” or “Italian dressing”
in other countries. Traditionally the ratio of oil to vinegar
is 4 to 1, but today many people increase the proportion of
vinegar used. In France vinaigrette dressings are often made
without olive oil or with a mix of olive oil and a milder tasting
oil. Several French find the taste of olive oil too strong for
the delicate flavor of salad greens.
A typical vinaigrette is made by whisking
oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and a dab of Dijon mustard together
so that an emulsion is formed. The dressing is then tossed with
the salad and “voila” you have a tossed green salad. The emulsion
is temporary and after a few minutes the two prime ingredients
will separate. This explains the conspicuous absence of vinaigrette
dressings on many buffets where containers of salad dressing
frequently sit for considerable periods of time. Enlightened
buffets put vinaigrette dressings in large containers that enable
the diners to stir the dressing without splashing it all over
the place before putting it on their salad.
Countless buffets have dressings that are
labeled “French Dressing” or “Italian Dressing”. These are sometimes
“vinaigrettes” with an emulsifier added to keep the prime ingredients
from separating. Unfortunately, the emulsifier invariably destroys
the fresh and sprightly flavor that makes vinaigrette so appealing.
Vinaigrette is often the foundation for making
other dressings. Other items that are added include minced garlic,
Worcestershire sauce, chili sauce, chutney, Roquefort cheese,
sweet and sour cream and, of course, herbs and spices. The possible
combinations are endless, however, some have become well-known
and appear with considerable frequency.
When oil and a bit of vinegar are beaten into
an egg, the resulting emulsion is mayonnaise, which in turn
forms the foundation of another series of salad dressings. Since
these dressings are often popular and stable for a longer period
of time than those without eggs, they are often found on buffets
and restaurant menus.
When it comes to health, however, eggs are
not without controversy. They contain a large amount of cholesterol
and it is recommended by many health organizations that consumption
of eggs be kept to about four a week. In addition, when they
are used as a stabilizer in homemade dressings, they are not
cooked and uncooked eggs can contain Salmonella enteritidis,
bacteria that can cause serious illness. This is not a serious
problem at restaurants as most of them use commercially made
mayonnaise that has been made with pasteurized eggs.
Here are some of the more common dressings
you will find in Bangkok restaurants and on buffet lines.
Vinaigrette A number of restaurants and buffets
have containers of oil and vinegar available for dressing salads.
This mixture is especially appropriate for the delicate flavor
of green salads, particularly if the amount of vinegar used
is kept to a minimum, as too much acid kills the taste of the
greens. It is best to first pour some oil on the greens, toss
them a bit and then add a little vinegar and toss again. If
there is a “French” or “Italian” dressing available, it will
also be good with plain greens, but not quite as good as vinaigrette.
French Dressing Several restaurants and buffets
have a dressing labeled “French Dressing” that is orange or
red in color. This dressing differs from vinaigrette in that
tomato soup or tomato juice, puree or catsup is added to the
oil and vinegar. These dressings are also good with mixed green
salads, particularly if the salad is made with iceberg lettuce,
a lettuce without much flavor of its own.
Thousand Island This simple mixture of mayonnaise
and ketchup (or catsup style chili sauce) has many variations.
Chopped sweet pickle is almost always added and some people
add chopped green olives, chopped green peppers and other little
tidbits. It is frequently served along with a “Chef’s Salad”
in local restaurants. Chef's salads are made with iceberg lettuce,
tomatoes and contain lots of sliced ham, cheese and hard-boiled
eggs. Thousand Island goes well with this salad and is almost
always served with it. This dressing also has an affinity for
cold boiled shrimp or crab and is often mixed with them. The
popular shrimp cocktail is frequently made with a mixture of
shrimp and Thousand Island dressing.
Green Goddess (Green Herb on some buffets)
Mayonnaise, sour cream, and lots of chopped chives (or scallion
greens) and parsley are the prime ingredients in this memorable
and assertive dressing from the Palace Hotel in San Francisco.
It does well with salads loaded with romaine and iceberg lettuce,
the two salad greens most enjoyed by Americans. In recent years,
as people have started making salads with a wider variety of
greens, it seems to have lost some of its popularity.
Honey Dijon Although made in different ways,
recipes commonly contain mayonnaise, honey, and a few dollops
of Dijon mustard. Sour cream and a bit of horseradish are also
sometimes added. This salad dressing is relatively new on the
scene, but it is one of the most popular on Bangkok’s buffet
lines. It should not, however, be used on a salad of mixed greens
and vegetables. It will simply overpower the salad and all you
will taste is the dressing. If you have a salad containing meat
or chicken, this dressing is much more appropriate. It also
makes an excellent dip for barbecued meats.
Creamy Roquefort Although Roquefort or Bleu
Cheese are often added to vinaigrette to form a dressing, a
creamy version is made by combining one of the cheeses with
mayonnaise and buttermilk or sour cream.
Caesar Dressing In actuality this popular dressing
is simply an oil and vinegar (or lemon juice) mixture that is
simply not beaten until it forms that stiff emulsion that we
call mayonnaise. It is found on virtually every menu in Bangkok
and varies greatly in quality. It is at its best when freshly
made at the table in front of the diner.
Nutritionists tell us a mound of several types
of fresh greens is one of the best things we can eat. Salad
dressings that are actually good for us, on the other hand,
are about as rare as snow in Bangkok. However, if you cannot
tolerate your greens in the nude, do not forsake them because
of a less than healthy salad dressing. Just remember to use
oils without saturated fats and to avoid those raw eggs if you
are worried about the possibility of Salmonella enteritidis.
Moreover, be certain to use your salad dressing in moderation
and be sure that the rest of your diet is not laden with lots
of oils and fat. Bon appetit!
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