TL;DR
The Kitchn recipe producer Jan Valdez reports that a sweet onion can blend into homemade dressing, contributing natural sweetness and helping oil and vinegar hold together. Her account is a personal recipe recommendation, not a comparative test showing that the dressing is best or that it outperforms bottled options.
The Kitchn recipe producer Jan Valdez has recommended adding a whole sweet onion to homemade salad dressing, describing a recipe from Sheldon Simeon’s cookbook as creamy, sweet and tangy. The ingredient is the focus of a personal cooking report, not a claim backed by a published comparison with other dressings.
Valdez said the idea caught her attention while she was reading Simeon’s Cook Real Hawai’i. The dressing calls for an entire sweet onion, rather than the small amounts of minced shallot or grated garlic she had previously used in vinaigrettes. She said she tried the recipe and found the onion blended into the dressing.
According to Valdez, the onion helps the oil and vinegar combine and gives the dressing a creamy texture without mayonnaise or yogurt. She describes its flavor as naturally sweet, paired with apple cider vinegar, granulated sugar and Dijon mustard for a sweet-and-tangy balance. Celery salt, she says, adds a savory note.
The recipe calls for neutral oil, but Valdez said she used olive oil and liked the result. She also suggests experimenting with different mustards or replacing some sugar with honey or maple syrup. These are her cooking suggestions; the supplied report does not give ingredient quantities or a complete method.
A Whole Onion Changes the Dressing
The appeal of the technique is that a familiar, relatively inexpensive ingredient may do more than provide flavor. In Valdez’s account, the onion contributes sweetness and helps create a smooth texture, offering an alternative to creamy dressings made with mayonnaise or yogurt. That may interest home cooks looking to make dressing from pantry ingredients, though the source does not provide a cost comparison.
The suggested uses also extend beyond leafy salads. Valdez says she served the dressing with kale and apple and proposes it for Cobb-style salads, spinach with apples and walnuts, cabbage slaw, roasted vegetables or grain bowls. Those pairings are recommendations, not reported results from a formal tasting or recipe test across all those dishes.
From Simeon’s Cookbook to Home Kitchens
The idea comes from Cook Real Hawai’i by Sheldon Simeon. Valdez writes that she was already familiar with the cookbook and had made other recipes from it, including kamaboko dip and one-pot chicken hekka, before trying the sweet onion dressing. Her report centers on what surprised her about the dressing: its use of a whole onion and its texture after blending.
The Kitchn identifies Valdez as an associate recipe producer who writes, updates and tests recipes. The supplied material says she has 10 years of experience in research-and-development test kitchens and at food publishers, including Serious Eats and EatingWell. Her professional background gives readers context for her cooking observations, but the article presents this dressing as a personal recommendation rather than a controlled evaluation.
““It calls for something I’ve never used in a dressing: a whole onion.””
— Jan Valdez, The Kitchn associate recipe producer
Recipe Details and Comparisons Remain Limited
The supplied report does not include the recipe’s full ingredient quantities, blending instructions, yield or storage guidance. It also does not say how long the dressing keeps, whether it separates after storage, or how different sweet onion varieties affect the finished flavor. Readers seeking exact proportions would need to consult the cookbook or the linked Kitchn recipe.
Valdez’s descriptions of creaminess, flavor and versatility are attributed to her experience. The report provides no blind tasting, nutrition analysis, price breakdown or direct comparison with bottled dressing. The headline’s “most delicious” framing is therefore a personal recommendation, not an independently established ranking.
Readers Can Try the Recipe
The immediate next step for readers interested in the idea is to follow the original recipe for exact amounts and preparation directions, then decide whether to use neutral oil or Valdez’s olive-oil variation. The source does not announce a new test, product launch or follow-up from The Kitchn.
Valdez’s suggestions offer several possible variations, including changing the mustard or substituting part of the sugar with honey or maple syrup. Since quantities and storage times are not included in the supplied report, readers should use the original recipe’s instructions for preparation and refrigeration rather than assume the dressing can be stored safely for a particular length of time.
Key Questions
What inexpensive ingredient does Jan Valdez recommend adding?
She recommends a whole sweet onion, such as Maui, Walla Walla or Vidalia, in a homemade dressing recipe from Sheldon Simeon’s Cook Real Hawai’i.
What does the onion do in the dressing?
Valdez says it blends into the dressing, adds natural sweetness and helps oil and vinegar stay combined, creating a creamy texture without mayonnaise or yogurt. That explanation reflects her report; the supplied material does not include a technical test of the effect.
What other ingredients are mentioned?
The report names apple cider vinegar, granulated sugar, Dijon mustard, oil and celery salt. It does not provide quantities. Valdez says she used olive oil and suggests trying other mustards or replacing some sugar with honey or maple syrup.
What foods does Valdez suggest serving it with?
She says she tossed it with kale and apple and suggests it for a Cobb-style salad, spinach with tart apples and walnuts, cabbage slaw, roasted vegetables or a grain bowl. These are her recommendations, not a reported formal test of every pairing.
Does the report prove this dressing is better than bottled dressing?
No. Valdez says she enjoyed the recipe, but the report does not include a comparative tasting or evidence establishing that it is the most delicious dressing. That description is a personal endorsement.
Source: thekitchn.com
