Salad dressing question

LTS3

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Is it normal for a balsamic vinegar and olive oil salad dressing to solidify in the fridge? 
I bought a bottle of the dressing a few days ago and put it in the fridge after I used some. The label says to refrigerate after opening. Today I took the bottle out again to use and the oil part was completely solid. I had to warm the bottle next to the stove as I was cooking to liquify the oil enough to shake up the dressing and use. I did have the bottle in the door shelf. Maybe too cold there? The bottle is now on a regular shelf.
 

natalie_ca

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It's the olive oil solidifying- it does that at cold temps. Just take the vinaigrette out of the fridge about 30 minutes or so before you need to to bring it back up to temperature.

If you make your own, use a vegetable oil such as canola oil. That won't solidify.

Here is a link to a discussion on this.

http://www.veggieboards.com/forum/2...ns/44487-solidified-oil-vinegar-dressing.html

Apparently there is a process that some manufacturers use to "winterize" olive oil used in salad dressings, where the part that solidifies in the cold, is removed.  Apparently the manufacturer of the brand you bought, doesn't do that.
 
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MoochNNoodles

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Yep it's normal!  You can take it out early like Natalie_ca says.  Sometimes giving it a good shake speeds it up for me.  I make my own dressing for pasta salad and that will sometimes solidify too.  Usually I give it a good stir before serving and then it only takes a couple minutes after serving to look normal.
 
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LTS3

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Good to know
Thanks!
 

ginny

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If you want a healthier option than the refined vegetable oils, I've been noticing unrefined avocado oil and macadamia nut oil in the stores lately.  I don't know if these will solidify in the fridge or not.  I use macadamia nut oil to make mayonnaise, which stays refrigerated and stays edible for about a week.  
 

donutte

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I've made my own dressing before with olive oil, but it never solidified (which I'm glad about because that would have freaked me out). Wondering why it would do it sometimes and not others? I've never seen it with commercial dressing for sure.
 

ginny

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I've made my own dressing before with olive oil, but it never solidified (which I'm glad about because that would have freaked me out). Wondering why it would do it sometimes and not others? I've never seen it with commercial dressing for sure.
I've heard that some of the brands in the store contain just enough olive to get away with calling it olive oil but contains mostly canola oil so maybe some bottles contain more, some less?  Do you always get the same brand?  Labeling laws are not strictly enforced.  Same goes with almond milk.  Most brands only contains the bare minimum.  I haven't made almond milk yet but have heard that store bought doesn't even compare to homemade.  Homemade calls for a cup of almonds, that's way more than just a few.  

A bit off topic, but related: a lawyer in New York last year sued 4 major retailers over vitamin/mineral supplement labeling fraud.  Walgreen, Walmart, Target, and GNC had a number of bottles pulled from the shelves and tested at an independent company and found that, in some cases, 4 out of 5 bottles DID NOT contain what the label claimed.  
 

donutte

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I get whatever is on sale as far as olive oil, so it was probably the store brand. That could explain it though. I haven't done it in ages but like to make lemon vinaigrette. I also shake it really hard before I even open it after it's been in the fridge, so maybe it really had solidified, but I broke it all up before seeing it? Not sure.
 

ginny

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This may not always be true, but the better brands are in the dark bottles not the clear ones.  Dishonest manufacturers could just put canola oil with green food coloring in a dark bottle just as easily.  I also read that honest olive oil manufacturers can't even taste the difference between real and fake (I kind of find that hard to believe.)  So, I guess if you really want true olive oil, you'd have to squeeze them yourself.  
 
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