Homemade French Dressing
This is a simple and easy dressing when you don't have any dressing on hand. My grandmother made it and I made it for my husband and he loved it.
This is a simple and easy dressing when you don't have any dressing on hand. My grandmother made it and I made it for my husband and he loved it.
- Carbohydrate 16.27 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 14.0465 g
- Fiber 0.0450000017881393 g
- Protein 0.261 g
- Saturated Fat 0.91799 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (42g)
- Sodium 167.1 mg
- Sugar 16.2249999982119 g
- Trans Fat 0.6301 g
- Calories 187 calories
Step-by-step
- Place all ingredients in a shaker bottle or old katchup bottle and shake til well mixed.
- Place in frig after made.
- Enjoy!
Unlike creamy vinaigrettes built on a mustard foundation or emulsions stabilized by egg yolks, American French dressing relies purely on mechanical suspension to marry oil and tomato paste or ketchup. Standard French dressings often incorporate vinegar and spices, but minimalist versions strip the formula down to its bare essentials: sugar, neutral oil, and ketchup. Emulsification here is entirely temporary, meaning oil droplets will inevitably separate from the aqueous tomato base within hours of mixing. Neutral oils such as canola or grapeseed work best because they lack the assertive flavor profiles of extra virgin olive oil, which can easily overwhelm the sweetness of the sugar. Whisking vigorously or shaking the ingredients inside a tightly sealed container creates a temporary suspension, but physical separation remains an inherent property of this style of dressing. Separation happens because no lecithin or protein exists in the basic three-ingredient formula to coat the oil droplets and prevent them from coalescing. Vigorous shaking immediately before pouring reintegrates the layers, ensuring a uniform coating on salad greens rather than an oily pool at the bottom of the bowl. Storage requires refrigeration at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit to maintain freshness, though the high sugar content acts as a mild preservative. Using a neutral-flavored oil prevents the dressing from tasting greasy on the palate, while dissolving the sugar completely in the ketchup prevents a gritty texture. Temperature also plays a role in viscosity, so allowing the chilled bottle to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before shaking makes the mixture flow more readily through a narrow bottleneck.
