Is there any condiment as versatile as salad dressing? What other condiment comes in such huge variety? From the super-simple vinaigrettes to creamy staples like ranch and green goddess, to dressings with monickers of dubious origin like French, Russian, and Italian, there's something for every palate and every salad. Humans have loved salad dressing for millennia, with both the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians adding oil and vinegar to their leafy greens. There's a reason why most households have multiple bottles of salad dressing in the fridge and why most home cooks have a on hand.
However, no matter your preferred dressing, don't let this extremely versatile and varied condiment linger only on your lettuce. There are near-endless ways you can use your favorite salad dressing with no need to ever break out the salad spinner. Wherever you need a sauce, moisture, or marinade, salad dressing is there to help.
Here are some of our favorite ways to use salad dressing that don't involve lettuce. As a marinade Pick up a bottle of marinade and a bottle of salad dressing and glance at the ingredients lists. You'll probably see a fair amount of overlap.
Oil-based dressings and marinades both often contain not only oils but also acidic ingredients like citrus juice, vinegar, wine, or soy sauce. In fact, some dressings are so similar to marinades that they're marketed as suitable for both uses, as is the case with So, if you want to marinate a steak or salmon, but don't have a bottle.