Ina Garten's Hack For Making Salad Dressing Without Any Extra Mess

The queen of the Hamptons herself, beloved chef, author, and TV personality Ina Garten has a hack for making salad dressing that makes the task easier and more streamlined, and saves you from dirtying extra dishes. Gartner says to cut out the middle man, which, in this case, is an extra container, and mix your simple salad dressings right in the measuring cup you're already using. No need to pour liquids from one vessel to another. 

If you're only making a small amount you plan to use right away, go one step further and pour the dressing directly out of the measuring cup onto your salad, rather than transferring it to a separate container, such as a cruet. Why make yourself a pile of oily dishes when you could use the same measuring cup for all tasks? Gartner's method just makes sense.

Additionally, making homemade salad dressing can cut costs at a time when grocery store prices are sky-high. With just a few basic ingredients you likely already have in the pantry, you can save yourself dollars and whip up a bright, flavorful, basic salad dressing at home. Say goodbye to half-used store-bought bottles forgotten in the back of the fridge.

You might think making a stellar salad dressing is something better left to the pros, but don't let the task intimidate you. A good basic dressing is something any home cook can master and it doesn't call for many ingredients. A pared-down but tried-and-true blueprint to follow is oil plus acid — vinegar or citrus juice — and some spices. Just be mindful of the ratio rule when mixing homemade salad dressing, which dictates always using more oil than vinegar. Consider saving your money on premium olive oils, too, since their taste will be diluted with other ingredients anyway. Instead, use some glugs of a trusty vegetable or canola oil, then mix everything up right in the measuring cup. 

Ina Garten's favorite four-ingredient vinaigrette, featuring freshly squeezed lemon juice, good olive oil, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper, is as simple and delicious as it gets. You can adjust it to your taste preferences by adding more lemon if it's not bright enough or more salt to liven it up, but know that this basic dressing is completely foolproof and truly all that's needed to dress up a salad for yourself or a crowd.

If you make a larger batch, avoiding using an extra dish may be difficult as you should transfer the dressing from the measuring cup into a bottle or jar with a well-fitting lid to stash your leftovers in the fridge. But it will keep for up to a week, meaning bright, punchy salads will be right at your fingertips — so maybe one extra dirty dish is worth it.