Freeze oil-based salad dressing?

Hi all! I'm vacationing next week and have my menu loosely planned for our trip. I'm trying to prep some components like enchilada sauc, beforehand so I can freeze them and bring them in my carry-on (because I hate checking bags and so I won't have to bring my immersion blender). One of the items I was considering this treatment for is a homemade cilantro lime salad dressing. It contains cilantro, lime juice, sugar, canola oil and s&p.

Is there any hope in freezing this? I know it's not ideal but was wondering if any other folks have had any luck with something similar. Thanks!!

Posted by: byb
June 10, 2016

16840 views
7 Comments

7 Comments

Nancy June 17, 2016

Have you left already & solved this problem, one way or another?
If not, my 2 cents:
The dressing as described blends easily with a fork or whisk, so no need to machine blend before travel.
My recommendation - carry the ingredients separately (or buy on site) and mix at vacation destination.
If you DO decide to blend in advance, omit the cilantro.
Fresh herbs can go slimy in dressings and reduce their ability to hold safely for several days.
Instead, chop & add just before serving.

Sam1148 June 11, 2016

I wouldn't even do it in the checked luggage. With changes in air pressure in the baggage hold you're likely to end up with oily mess on your clothes.
Another pricey option would be to box it up with other stuff (Dry goods, spices, etc) and put it on dry ice and ship it to a fed-ex/ups store for pick up.

amysarah June 11, 2016

Liquid limit, frozen or not, is 3.4 oz/100ml for carry-on (besides baby formula or meds.) https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/liquids-rule

PHIL June 11, 2016

The TSA will take your salad dressing out you through an extra security check and use your dressing during their lunch break

Shuna L. June 10, 2016

I have not met a single TSA agent that would allow me to have frozen homemade liquid in my carry on. Unless you have done this dozens of times before without trouble I don't suggest it. If the cabin pressure drastically changes in your aircraft, that's an explosion of challenging liquid you would not want to try and explain. But to the question of freezing salad dressings - yes, but I would freeze them 3 days before your trip, at least, to ensure they're frozen solid.

702551 June 11, 2016

Shuna's right, I didn't notice the mention about carry-on baggage.

You can try this for your checked bags, but forget it if you are trying to do this with carry-on.

702551 June 10, 2016

You can freeze anything if your freezer can reach the temperatures that freeze the item in question.

There's no way for anyone here to say whether or not *YOUR* freezer is cold enough to freeze whatever particular mixture you want to freeze. You will have to experiment on your own.

Good luck.

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