Want to make a great homemade dressing? An ice cube is the secret ingredient you’re missing

This humble little ingredient can help you cook like a professional chef

By Lindsay Parrill Published August 7, 2023

Ice cubes — Pixabay/Pexels

If you’ve ever wondered why your homemade salad dressings just don’t have the same silky smooth texture of those you find at restaurants, this simple trick could very well be the reason. It turns out, the secret ingredient is probably something you have lots of at this very moment, right in your freezer. And it didn’t cost you a thing. Ice.

In the following video, YouTube Chef Carla Lalli Music demonstrates how to make three fabulous homemade salad dressings — Spicy Buttermilk, Herby Miso Ranch, and a Savory Citrus Vinaigrette. She explains that these three dressings are the only ones you’ll need to get you through every possible summer dish, and makes every viewer’s mouth undoubtedly water in proving her point. She then expertly mixes up a batch of each, sharing tips and tricks along the way. And one of those tips is something every home chef should know — using an ice cube as a key dressing ingredient.

The Only 3 Salad Dressings You Need For Summer

Around the 6:20 mark of the video, Chef Carla drops an ice cube into the dressing that she’s mixing with an immersion blender. She explains that if the heat from a blender is warming the emulsification, the herbs can begin to brown. Ice will not only help to thin a dressing, but to cool it down as well, preventing the ingredients from oxidizing.

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Ice can actually improve a salad dressing in many ways. Not only does the sudden chilly burst help the ingredients to stay fresh, but it aids in the emulsification process as well. The cold will help the ingredients to thicken and blend, making for a silkier, more velvety texture in your dressing. The ice will also help to hold the mixture together, keeping your dressing from breaking, which is always disappointing.

So if you’ve been wondering how to make restaurant-quality dressings from your own kitchen, this simple little trick will help you look like a professional chef every single time.

Salad dressing — congerdesign/Pixabay

Homemade ranch recipe

This is our favorite recipe for homemade ranch dressing, but the ice trick will work perfectly for any emulsified dressing you’re craving. Just pop an ice cube in the blender about halfway through the process, and you’re done.

Ingredients

1/2 cup cultured buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 garlic cloves
Juice from half a lemon
3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Ice cube

Method

Place all of the ingredients except for the ice into a bowl and process with an immersion blender until combined. Alternatively, you can use a blender or food processor for this process.
Add an ice cube and continue to process until the mixture is smooth.

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Advice and insights

Lindsay Parrill

Contributor

Lindsay is a graduate of California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu, San Francisco, from where she holds a degree in…

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