Is There Really A Difference Between Marinade And Salad Dressing?

Sauces are a culinary essentials, adding flavor and moisture to just about any foodstuff imaginable. Set out to actually craft an aromatic liquid, and the nuance can become daunting. Take the surprisingly similar marinade and salad dressing; both pack in a mix of fat, acid, salt, and seasonings. Yet, their applications couldn't be more different, with the former classically applied to a sizzling steak while the latter goes into a bowl of greens.

Curiously, there is an overlapping quality to explore; you can use a bottle of Italian salad dressing to marinate a steak. However, this is the exception to the rule. Marinades are principally designed to use salt, acid, or enzymes to alter the protein structure of meats, with further ingredients seasoning the exterior.

Meanwhile, dressings are different from other sauces due to their emulsified nature, transforming oil and vinegar into a stable mixture. This works to flavor and moisten salads while avoiding a disappointing accumulation of liquid on the bottom of the bowl. Consequently, this makes the aim of a salad dressing quite different than a marinade. So, while stirring up a bowl, you'll want to keep such nuances in mind to make the final dish shine.

Think marinade, and enhancing a batch of chicken or steak is likely what comes to mind. Indeed, this sauce's task is to improve food, adding some tenderness and flavor into every bite. While meats are the most common application, marinades can also transform vegetables and fish.

As opposed to salad dressings, marinades aren't only for flavor and moisture: They also chemically alter the composition of foods. There's lots of science to marinating, with several processes occurring in parallel. The precise interactions heavily depend on what's in the marinade and what's getting marinated.

Generally, salt's doing the bulk of the work, moving around moisture in what's essentially a brine. This mineral works just as effectively with meats as vegetables. Furthermore, acids like vinegar and citrus juice also strongly impact protein composition. Toss these ingredients into a marinade, and you'll get a wondrously different dish.

Contrary to popular belief, oil and seasonings aren't able to penetrate meats during marination. In a sense, once the aforementioned compounds have done their work, further marinade ingredients act like a dressing by externally flavoring food. However, rather than propping up a raw bowl of vegetables, they're subject to heat, which does impact what goes into the mix. Generally, marinades are built sturdier and act more as a subtle enhancer.

As a vessel for flavor and moisture, salad dressings involve a wide range of components. However, the condiment does follow several preparation templates, with an especially classic go-to being oil and vinegar mixed with seasonings like salt, pepper, spices, and herbs. Known as a vinaigrette, this combination of ingredients is so time-tested alongside greens that most don't even question it.

Foremost, this dressing's power lies in its emulsified structure; a quality that distinguishes dressings from marinades. When whipping up this liquid seasoning, it's critical to get the vinegar and oil to meld, as their particles normally repel. Tertiary ingredients — like mustard, garlic, honey, or mayo — tie the central two ingredients together and create a suspended mixture that won't separate. Some agitated mixing goes a long way, with a blender especially well-suited for the job. You'll also want to avoid ratio mistakes with homemade salads. The sauce won't only taste off but won't hold.

There are types of salad dressings that abandon oil-vinegar formula. Mayonnaise is also an emulsified dressing, especially when you consider its role in all the delicious takes on potato salad worldwide. This condiment's magic is all in the creaminess, a texture that's also achieved with blue cheese and buttermilk-based dressings like beloved ranch. What intertwines all such sauces is a flavorful — typically slightly tart — character that moisturizes greens and other salad components into a well-melded dish.

Since they both function as seasonings, the two sauces overlap in many ingredients. Fat is a central vessel, and it's complemented by a source of acid, herbs, salt, and pepper. Even proportions are similar; three parts oil to one part acid is a common template for both, although vinaigrettes often run a bit more tangy.

Occasionally, the two sauces are interchangeable, but subsequent mechanics differ enough to impact preparations. While you'll want your marinade to distribute homogeneously throughout the food, its mouthfeel is less crucial. Much of the liquid won't remain after cooking, while a salad dressing that's present in every bite. 

Furthermore, there are components of the two sauces that diverge. Add too much sugar to salad dressings, and the dish becomes too dessert-like. However, the sweetener is a stalwart of steak marinade formulas for good reason. It enhances caramelization reactions at the meat surface, achieving mouth-watering browning and crust.

Because marinades subsequently get heated, they're open to more pungent ingredients like Worcestershire sauce, fish sauce, and large amounts of garlic, which will soften over heat. Conversely, salad dressings can be a canvas for more delicate ingredients, like a finely chopped herb, a complex blue cheese, or high-quality honey.