Until the early 1900s, dressings for salads were prepared at home, using ingredients that were in season or able to be preserved without refrigeration. Dressing was prepared fresh before each meal unless the household had enough ice to keep it cool. Even with ice, salad dressing could only be kept about a week because there were no chemical preservatives.

 

INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS

SALAD DRESSING
To one-half cup olive oil, add one teaspoon paprika, one teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, a pinch of dry mustard, one-half cup sugar, and one-third teaspoonful salt. Mix all together well and add vinegar until the right consistency.

MAYONNAISE
A quick mayonnaise can be made by putting into a bowl one-half teaspoon salt, a dash of red pepper, one-half teaspoon dry mustard, the yolk of an egg, four tablespoons olive-oil, and one tablespoon lemon-juice or tarragon vinegar. Beat all together with an egg beater. If it fails to thicken, it is because the egg is not strictly fresh, but even if it does not thicken, it is palatable. A small jar of mayonnaise dressing, kept upon the ice, is an ever-present help in time of trouble.

OIL MAYONNAISE
Mix the yolk of one raw egg, one-half teaspoon salt, a little dry mustard, and a few grains of cayenne. Add one cup of oil in small portions and two tablespoons lemon juice. Beat all together and keep cool. When ready to serve, stir in one-half cup of sour cream.

THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING
To three tablespoons mayonnaise dressing, add one tablespoon Tarragon vinegar, two tablespoons chili sauce, and one tablespoon cream. Then add a dash each of salt, pepper, paprika, and English mustard. Add some chopped chives or onions and mix. Keep cool until ready to serve.

FRENCH DRESSING
Put into a bowl or soup plate a pinch of salt, a dash of red pepper, and three tablespoons olive oil. Stir with a silver spoon until thoroughly mixed, then add one tablespoon tarragon vinegar and stir until thick. French dressing must not be made until it is to be used as it very quickly wilts a vegetable salad. French dressing may also be seasoned with Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire, dry mustard, celery salt, or any preferred condiment.

SWEET FRENCH DRESSING
Mix well a teaspoon of granulated sugar and the same of dry mustard. Add one-half teaspoon salt, the same of black pepper and paprika mixed. Put in the bottom of a deep small bowl and stir for two minutes. Wet with claret vinegar, adding it gradually and stirring smooth, making it as thick as cream. Add twenty drops tabasco, twenty drops onion juice, the strained juice of half a lemon, and one-half teaspoon of brandy, rum or whiskey. Mix well, then add a tablespoon at a time, a gill* of salad oil, stirring hard between spoonfuls. Put in more vinegar, more oil—the seasoning suffices for half a pint of dressing. Stir till it thickens—it should be like an emulsion when poured upon the salad. Keep on ice. The oil and vinegar will separate, but the dressing can be brought back by stirring hard.

*gill – a liquid measurement; four ounces in the U.S. and five ounces in the U.K.

FRUIT SALAD DRESSING 
Take some butter the size of an egg and mix with three eggs, the juice of two oranges, the juice of one lemon, one-half can pineapple juice, one-half cup sugar, one-third teaspoon dry mustard, and one teaspoon flour. Cook the mixture in a double boiler until thick. Set aside to cool, then add one cup of cream, whipped.

FRUIT SALAD DRESSING No. 2
Mix two tablespoons granulated sugar, two teaspoons dry mustard, a little red pepper, eight egg yolks eggs, eight tablespoons vinegar, two teaspoons salt, and two teaspoons butter. Cook in a double boiler five minutes. When cold, add one cup chopped pecan nuts or blanched almonds, twenty-four chopped marshmallows, and two cups whipped cream. Pour over apricots or fruit salad. Garnish with maraschino cherries. This serves sixteen persons.

ROQUEFORT CHEESE DRESSING
Take a ripe piece of cheese, cream with a fork and add cream or vinegar until it makes a paste. Add oil and vinegar, and salt and paprika to your taste.

ITALIAN SALAD DRESSING 
Take the yolks of three eggs boiled hard and mashed fine. Add one saltspoon* salt, one saltspoon dry mustard, a little cayenne pepper, one saltspoon powdered sugar, four tablespoons olive oil, one tablespoon lemon juice, and one tablespoon vinegar. Do not let it come to a boil, but stir constantly until well mixed.

*saltspoon – a miniature spoon used with an open salt cellar for individual use before table salt was free-flowing. One saltspoon equals one-fourth teaspoon.

BOILED DRESSING
Mix together one teaspoon each of mustard and sugar, two teaspoons flour, one-half teaspoon salt, one-eighth teaspoon paprika, one egg, and one cup of milk. Have butter the size of an egg hot in a spider*. Put the mixture in the hot butter, stirring constantly until thick. Add vinegar and lemon to taste and beat until smooth.

*spider – a skillet with a flat bottom, straight shallow sides, a short handle and three short legs.

SOUR CREAM SALAD DRESSING
Stir one tablespoon sugar, one-half teaspoon salt, one-fourth teaspoon pepper, and one tablespoon lemon juice into one cup of sour cream. Serve it on cucumbers, onions, cabbage or lettuce.

ENGLISH SALAD DRESSING
Mash the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs to a paste. Add one saltspoon salt, one teaspoon powdered sugar, a few grains cayenne, a teaspoon of cold water, and mix it well. Stir in by degrees a half cup of cream, then stirring very rapidly, add a tablespoon of strong Chili vinegar and one of cider vinegar. Six tablespoons of olive oil may be used instead of cream, adding it gradually.

Photo from Deposit Photos

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3 Quart T-fal Stainless Steel Double Boiler

A double boiler is two pots: a large one that sits on a burner and a smaller, shallow pan that fits inside. It’s used for cooking delicate ingredients that may stick, burn, or separate over direct heat.

Fill the bottom pan with a little water and set the shallow pan on top. Turn on the heat and the water in the bottom pan begins to simmer and provides a gentle heat to what’s cooking in the pan above. Perfect for making cooked dressings.

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 Have you ever made your own salad dressings? Please leave a comment below.

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