Simple Vinaigrette Recipe - Kristine's Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

Simple Vinaigrette Recipe - Kristine's Kitchen? ›

In general, vinaigrette consists of 3 parts of oil to 1 part of vinegar whisked into an emulsion. Salt and pepper are often added. Herbs and shallots, too, are often added, especially when it is used for cooked vegetables or grains. Sometimes mustard is used as an emulsifier and to add flavour.

In general, vinaigrette consists of 3 parts of oil to 1 part of vinegar whisked into an emulsion. Salt and pepper are often added. Herbs and shallots, too, are often added, especially when it is used for cooked vegetables or grains. Sometimes mustard is used as an emulsifier and to add flavour.

The French have decided that the perfect ratio for a vinaigrette is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. For my personal taste, that's a little too oily — but it's totally up to you.

The Basic Vinaigrette Formula

The most basic ratio for making a salad vinaigrette is: one part vinegar (or other acid) three parts oil.

For a traditional vinaigrette, you'll need to mix about 3 tablespoons of oil to 1 tablespoon of vinegar. You'll also want to add some salt and pepper to taste. Of course, for all four ingredients, the better the quality you use, the better your vinaigrette will taste.

In a pint-size jar, combine the vinegar, garlic, mustard, 3/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Cover and shake to dissolve the salt. Add the olive oil and shake to blend. Taste for seasoning.

In addition to white wine vinegar, red wine, sherry, balsamic and cider vinegars can all be used in the same quantities as above. It's really down to personal taste and it's great to have a selection of vinegars in your cupboard to give variety to even the simplest salads.

The Oils. Generally speaking, any oils labeled "vegetable oil" or "salad oil" are fine for making a basic vinaigrette. You could also use any light, neutral-flavored oil like safflower, canola, or soybean oil. One of the most common variations is to substitute olive oil for salad oil.

The most common emulsifiers in your kitchen are likely egg yolks, mayonnaise, prepared mustard (preferably Dijon), honey, and tomato paste (though I'm not a fan of raw tomato paste, the flavor works quite well in a vinaigrette). For a more neutral flavor, use mayonnaise.

What is the simplest form of dressing? ›

This is equally true for even something as simple as a salad dressing, which a vinaigrette is as simple as it gets. Vinaigrettes are an emulsion of 3 parts vegetable oil (usually olive oil) and 1 part acid (usually vinegar or acidic fruit juice), seasoning, and sometimes other flavourings.

The exception to this would be if your homemade vinaigrette solely consists of shelf-stable ingredients like oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. "Even with some mustard, honey or tahini included, the vinaigrette will likely be safe to eat unrefrigerated; however, the flavors will keep best when stored cold," Ziata says.

How Long Does Homemade Vinaigrette Last? Traditional vinaigrettes, like the balsamic version listed below, will last longer—sometimes up to a few weeks. However, anything with fresh garlic should be consumed within a few days, as the combination of garlic and oil can form harmful bacteria over time.

An emulsifier is used in a vinaigrette to stabilize the oil and vinegar. Common emulsifiers include egg yolks, soy lecithin, and mustard. These ingredients all include lecithin--the stabilizing compound. In many vinaigrettes, mustard is the go-to stabilizer.

CD Kitchen explains that subpar vinegars can create bitter, harsh vinaigrettes. Adding too much vinegar (or lemon juice) can also muck up the acid-to-oil ratio, creating a dressing that's simply too strong for the greens. If this happens, add a pinch of baking soda to quell the bitterness (via Wonder How-To).

Oil and vinegar are immiscible in each other, so their composition will not be uniform throughout the mixture. Since heterogeneous mixtures are those mixtures that are not uniform throughout the mixture, so oil and vinegar salad dressing will be a heterogeneous mixture.

vinaigrette. noun. vin·​ai·​grette ˌvin-i-ˈgret. : a sauce made of oil, vinegar, and seasonings and used especially on salads, cold meats, or fish.

In Western culture, there are two basic types of salad dressing: Vinaigrettes based on a mixture (emulsion) of olive or salad oil and vinegar and variously flavored with herbs, spices, salt, pepper, sugar, and other ingredients such as poppy seeds or ground Parmesan cheese.