Monday, August 26, 2013

The Old Empty Mayo Jar Dressing Trick – Scrap the Scrape!

They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade; but what about when life gives you empty mayonnaise jars? Mayonade? No, of course not. We’re going to make salad dressing instead, and “scrape the scrape.”

I’ll often add a tablespoon or two of mayonnaise when I make a vinaigrette, to help emulsify things, as well as provide a little extra creaminess to the dressing. With that in mind, when I get down to the end of a jar, I don’t scrape, I shake.

I’m posting the ingredients I used below just in case you’re curious, but this post isn’t really about a recipe, but simply a tip for using up the last of that mayo without all that annoying butterknifing. Now, I just need to work on a recipe for using up the last of the dressing clinging to the inside of the jar. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 1 1/2 cups of dressing:
1 empty mayo jar, with at least 1 tbsp of mayo inside
1 clove minced garlic
1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (I used parsley, thyme, and chives)
1/2 cup wine vinegar
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne to taste
pinch of Herbes de Provence

View the complete recipe

11 comments:

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Thank you, this looks and sounds great.

FlowerLady

Jackie Reynolds said...

Looks great and I will try this. I love the idea.

I do have one silly question: do you not own a rubber spatula?

Chris K. said...

Racoons and sawdust meatloaf is my new food wish.

I cooked a beaver tail once. It is alleged to have been a delicacy among French Canadian fur trappers.

I broiled it to remove the thick skin (peeled right off!), and braised the tail in mire poix and chicken stock for a couple hours.

Here is all you need to know about French Canadian fur trappers: they were probably half-starved to death most of the time, and a 'delicacy' was anything they could eat that did not qualify as footwear.

Dr. Tao said...

Chef, can you do a video on what to do with empty sambal sauce bottle and mustard?

Ivor the Engine Driver said...

If you've got some salad dressing still in the jar, what about throwing in some greens and shaking it up? With a few vigorous shakes onto a plate I'm sure you'd have a well-dressed salad!

Unknown said...

I love your wooden measuring spoons! Where can I get them?

Unknown said...

I love your wooden measuring spoons! Where can I get them?

edward said...

chef you got everyone rubbing to see what's empty in the fridge. what can i do with half an orange peel and hotdog juice?

Russell Lewis said...

Just wondering how long this will last, a day, a few days? I usually tend to vacuum seal stuff, will that make a difference in "shelf life." We single guys would like to know.

Unknown said...

This starts exactly like those "as seen on tv" commercials.

Unknown said...

Being without fresh herbs in January, I sliced 1 green onion and put it in the blender that I had just used to make mayo.

Added vinegar and lemon juice, oil, buttermilk and garlic powder (hate the raw garlic flavor in dressings.)

It's awesome!!! I mean, like: the best "ranch" dressing I ever had in my life kinda awesome.

Inspired once again by you, Chef John!!