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WTF Salad Dressings: Picking the Right Emulsifier
A great salad dressing is all about creating a perfect flow and then keeping that dressing blended over time. Whether you prefer the viscosity to be watery, thick, or somewhere in between, what we all want is a salad dressing that won’t separate quickly. Scott and Janie share recipes for 3 summer salads and dressings, and show you how to get to that elusive emulsified state using many of our most popular emulsifiers and thickeners, including some you may already have in your pantry… on this week’s WTF.
Product Links:
Polysorbate 80
Soy Lecithin Powder
Perfected Xanthan Gum
Perfected Guar Gum
210S
Acacia Gum
Soy Lecithin Powder
Recipe Link:
Black Cherry and Tomato Salad
Fennel Salad
Plum and Goat Cheese Salad
References and Other Links you Might Like!
WTF – Polysorbate 80
WTF – Soy Lecithin Powder
WTF – Acacia Gum
WTF – Guar Gum
WTF – Xanthan Gum
Usage Chart
| . | optimal emulstion ratio | Solubility | PH | Shear | Mouthfeel | Additional usage |
| Arabic/Acacia Gum | 5-10% | Cold | 3-9 | Blender | Sticky, smooth | Viscosity decreases with pH ; optimal at pH 4 |
| 210s | 0.5-1.5% | Cold | 3-9 | Blender | Sticky, smooth | Good for dilution, will not separate if liquid is added. at higher ratios it can overly thicken the emulsion |
| Soy lecithin powder | 2-3% | Cold | 3-9 | Blender | Clean | Great for thinner viniagrettes will not thicken. |
| Liquid Soy lecithin | 1-4% | Cold, oil only | 3-9 | Blender | Clean | Must be mixed into oil before emulsifying. |
| Organic sunflower lecithin | 2-3% | Cold | 3-9 | Blender | Clean | Good alternative to soy lecithin. Can be used as a 1:1 replacement for soy lecithin |
| Polysorbate 80 | 0.5-0.75% | Cold | 2-10 | Blender | Clean | great for all emulsions, higher ratios can create thicker/creamier emulsions. |
| Guar Gum | 0.1-1.5% | Cold | 4-10 | Blender | Slick | tolerates salts; high stability and particle suspension; moderate so lubility alcohol tolerance. Blend well before making emulsion |
| Perfected Guar Gum | 0.1-1.5% | Cold, more rapidly than traditional | 4-10 | Blender | Slick | tolerates salts; high stability and particle suspension; moderate so lubility alcohol tolerance. Blend well before making emulsion |
| Xanthan Gum | 0.05-0.35% | Cold | 1-13 | Blender | Sticky, Slick | tolerates salts; shearing decreases viscosity; tolerates 50%-60% alcohol. Higher ratios will bee too thick. |
| Perfect Xanthan Gum | 0.05-0.35% | Cold, more rapidly than traditional | 1-13 | Blender | Sticky, Slick | tolerates salts; shearing decreases viscosity; tolerates 50%-60% alcohol |
About ‘We Transform Food’
We Transform Food is a weekly series from Modernist Pantry exploring cool ingredients and gadgets that can help any chef transform food into more memorable experiences.
Comments (6)
May 12, 2021 1:56 pm
Balsamic Vinegrette
May 12, 2021 4:36 pm
3-to-1 (American) vinaigrette – shallot, olive oil, sherry vinegar
May 12, 2021 7:16 pm
A classic!
May 19, 2021 6:37 pm
My favorite is peanut-lime dressing
May 20, 2021 2:33 pm
That is a good one!
April 17, 2022 10:06 am
Which emulsifier would be best to emulsify small amount of oil into larger amount of liquid..for beverages?