Making French Dressing at Home
You can make French dressing in maybe twenty minutes from scratch, and it beats the bottled stuff on almost every measurable axis. The main difference is vinegar balance and oil quality. Commercial dressings lean heavily on high-fructose corn syrup and a lot of stabilizers just to keep the emulsion from splitting during shipping. When you make it yourself, you control both variables. Here's the ratio I use regularly: one part red wine vinegar to three parts neutral oil, about two tablespoons tomato paste per cup of dressing, half a teaspoon each of dried oregano and onion powder, a quarter teaspoon garlic powder, a pinch of cayenne if you want heat, and roughly one tablespoon of honey or granulated sugar per cup depending on how sweet you like it. The salt goes in at about three quarters of a teaspoon per cup, but taste first since the tomato paste carries its own sodium. The method itself is straightforward. Whisk the vinegar, tomato paste, spices, and sweetener together in a bowl until the paste fully dissolves. Then slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking continuously. You're building an emulsion, which is just a stable suspension of oil droplets in water. If you pour the oil too fast at the start, the emulsion breaks and you end up with separated layers that look like soup instead of dressing. Go slow through the first third of the oil, then you can be a little more generous with the pour.
I learned this the hard way on a batch where I was rushing to prep salad for a catering event. Dumped half the oil in way too quick, watched it separate into a pool of vinegar at the bottom and a thick layer of oil on top. Had about forty minutes before guests arrived. My workaround was to start a fresh batch with just a tablespoon of warm water in the vinegar base, then slowly re-emulsify the separated mess back into it while whisking. It saved the batch and it tasted fine, but it was a avoidable mess. Let some of that sit for a few hours before serving if you can. The flavors marry and the sharpness of the vinegar mellows out noticeably within four to six hours in the fridge. That's when the oregano and garlic actually start tasting like themselves instead of raw spice. Store it in a jar with a tight lid in the refrigerator. It keeps for about two weeks, maybe three if your fridge runs cold. The emulsion might separate again in the jar, which is normal. Just shake it before using. Olive oil works if you want a fruitier, stronger flavor profile, but a lighter oil like grapeseed or a mild vegetable oil is closer to what you'd get from a store-bought version.
One thing people miss is that the acidity level matters more than the recipe proportions for food safety. If you're going beyond two weeks, bump the vinegar up slightly or add a splash of pasteurized egg yolk if you want the texture closer to a classic emulsified French. Both raise the acidity and inhibit bacterial growth. Without that adjustment, you're working with a shorter shelf life window. The tomato paste is non-negotiable for color and body. Ketchup works in a pinch but it adds unnecessary sugar and a cooked tomato flavor that doesn't match. Fresh tomatoes won't give you the same consistency unless you reduce them down to a paste first, which takes longer than just opening a can. If you need it thinner for a dip or a marinade, add water a tablespoon at a time. If you want it thicker for a lettuce salad, add more oil slowly and let it rest so it thickens as the emulsion fully develops.
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