I'm still trying to perfect my italian sub dressing (Could also be Italian salad dressing basically). I made a recipe that was sound, but had a bitter after taste, this is a good indicator that your oil is cheap, or has gone rancid, neither of which my oil has. So I made the same recipe in another container, but changed the tools I used. (I didn't use a metal bowl for either attempt). I needed to emulsify the dressing, and I have a stick blender that is very good at emulsifying stuff. On the first attempt, I used the blade attachment, which is what gave me the bitter aftertaste. On the second attempt, I used the stick blender with the whisk attachment instead, and it made all the difference. Emulsifying too fast and too aggressively can cause the oil to oxidize, making it permanently rancid. I was shocked at how different it turned out.
Bitter tasting oil based dressings
- Thread starter Puggles
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Very good advice!
Barriehie
Legendary Member
What kind of oil were you using?
Barriehie
Legendary Member
I buy Partanna extra virgin olive oil buy the gallon and use that for most of my recipes. I pour what I need into a tinted glass bottle and put a nozzle on it. I find that most "popular /common" olive oils taste bad to me. I don't get it, everyone will say "oh, this is great" either they don't know what they're talking about, or my taste buds are weird. They tend to taste too "flowery" to me and it doesn't appeal to my taste buds, but the stuff I get is not as much like that.
Barriehie
Legendary Member
I wouldn't use a stick blender to make a dressing. A whisk, every single time. IMHO, you want an emulsion, so that the ingredients come together slowly but surely, not whacked into oblivion by an electrified beater.
I'm not an expert on olive oil by any means, but if you buy good quality stuff, there's no reason why it should taste metallic. Green grass, slightly spicy, yes; metallic, no.
I'm not an expert on olive oil by any means, but if you buy good quality stuff, there's no reason why it should taste metallic. Green grass, slightly spicy, yes; metallic, no.
An excellent well researched article although somewhat inconclusive.