Making a great vinaigrette

[Katie Meadow]

Chili and worcestershire and sugar are three ingredients that come to mind.

[huiray]

To each his/her own - but along the lines of what Katie said, chili sauce & Worcestershire sauce would not be things I personally would put into a vinaigrette.

[Norm Matthews]

Akin to the alfredo sauce in the US is not really Italian nor is the US version of Italian dressing is what most Italians use on their salad, perhaps this would be a good place to start a discussion about vinaigrettes. Vinaigrettes are extremely versatile and may be crafted to go with the kind of salad that is being made. They can be mild, hearty, tangy, sweet, nutty, or fruity for example. A vinaigrette should start with the vinegar or acid and seasonings can be infused into it before the oil is added. Emulsifiers help blend the acid and oil to help it hold together. With boutique vinegar and oil shops becoming popular, there are a lot of newer infused oils and flavored vinegars that can be used in salad dressings but the more common vinegars besides the cider vinegar for salads are rice vinegar for a mild dressing, red and white wine vinegars, champagne vinegar, sherry and balsamic vinegars but also for acid, lime juice, lemon, orange juice and one could even add some apple cider to cider vinegar for variety. Other flavored things with a vinegar base like Worcestershire sauce can be used to vary the flavor of the other acids but probably would not be good if used by itself.

Oils can include olive oil of course. The varieties of olive oil is a topic in itself but you can use very mild oils or infused oils as well as other salad oils and walnut oil, hazelnut oil or a blend. Sesame oil in small amounts can add an asian hint for example.

Emulsifiers most commonly used are mustards. Besides dry mustard, there are German, English, French and Chinese mustards as well as some delicious homemade mustards which is again another topic in itself. Besides mustard emulsifiers one could use cream, yogurt, buttermilk, pureed fruit such as raspberries, blueberries, tomato paste (or even chili sauce)

Flavor accents are endless but some are lemon zest, fresh basil, chives, crushed dried oregano, thyme or rosemary, ginger, freshly grated Parmesan, crushed garlic, toasted walnuts, pine nuts, dill, honey, sugar (purists will be against sugar but a small amount can help round out the dressing without adding sweetness)

In short, crafting a dressing that will go with the kind of salad you make can be fun and there is lots of room for experimentation. One final ingredient is SALT or a salted ingredient. When a simple vinaigrette fails, lack of salt is quite often the reason.

PS: A basic proportion for a vinaigrette starts with about 1 tsp. herb, 2 tsp. emulsifier, 1 Tbs. acid and 3 Tbs oil .

Edited September 3, 2014 by Smithy
Member's request (log)

[Shel_B]

Emulsifiers most commonly used are mustards.  Besides dry mustard, there are German, English, French and Chinese mustards as well as some delicious homemade mustards which is again another topic in itself.  Besides mustard emulsifiers one could use cream, yogurt, buttermilk, pureed fruit such as raspberries, blueberries, tomato paste (or even chili sauce)

[...]

One final ingredient is SALT or a salted ingredient.  When a simple vinaigrette fails, lack of salt is quite often the reason.

 

I read in CI that the addition of a little mayonnaise makes a good emulsifying agent.  I tried it, and it does work well.  For a long time after reading the CI suggestion I resisted using mayonnaise, but I finally tried it, and it works very well.  For those with access to CI's site, here are the links: 

 

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/4887-foolproof-vinaigrette

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/videos/393-emulsifiers

 

How does salt, or the lack of salt, cause a vinaigrette to fail?

Edited September 3, 2014 by Shel_B (log)

[weinoo]

I think the lack of, or not using salt, causes many cooking experiments to fail.  

[Norm Matthews]

Mayonnaise is in itself an emulsion of oil and egg yolk so naturally incorporating anything into it would be including it in its own emulsion. By 'fail' in vinaigrette, I meant not tasting as good as if it had the salt in it.  Mayonnaise based dressings are a whole other class of salad dressings that are rather distinct from vinaigrettes but I can see how it could be used as a part of a vinaigrette too.

Edited September 3, 2014 by Norm Matthews (log)

[SobaAddict70]

If I am using shallots or garlic in a vinaigrette, I will usually begin by macerating them in some red or white wine vinegar and a touch of sea salt. Set aside for 5 minutes, then proceed with the rest of the recipe (i.e., whisk in the mustard and oil, add herbs, then taste for salt and pepper.)

[SobaAddict70]

The vinaigrettes I use for salads tend to follow this pattern:

1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons red or white wine

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

sea salt

black pepper

herbs

occasionally mustard

sometimes shallots, sometimes not

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I normally dress my salads with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  But having just obtained an homogenizer I decided to try a vinaigrette for my first project.  Into a pint measuring glass I pressed a clove of garlic and added one ounce of vinegar and three ounces of the extra virgin olive oil, along with a pinch of salt.  Homogenizing the vinaigrette took seconds, including clean up.

 

I cannot abide mustard or xanthan in a vinaigrette.  Even so this dressing does not look like it will ever break.  It was good, but I think I still prefer just plain unmixed oil and vinegar with garlic.

[paulraphael]

Something to remember with vinaigrettes is that lots of things work as emulsifiers. If you're using adding anything like shallot or garlic, you've got all the emulsifying power you need right there. So mustard should be seen as a choice based on flavor.

 

I usually add a tenth of a gram or so of xanthan, because it's such a good stabilizer. It lets me make the vinaigrette hours ahead of time and not have to worry about separation. It also slightly improves the ability to cling to the leaves.

 

For proportions, I always eyeball it and then adjust to taste. Different vinegars have different acidity levels. And sometimes I want a more acidic result than others. The vinegar itself seems like the most important ingredient. The subtleties of a high quality raw oil can't stand up to the vinegar flavor, so there's little reason to spend money and attention there.

[Okanagancook]

Xanthan is a great tip. I have moved my jar of it to a handier place because I use it in sauces and salad dressings. I agree about vinegar being really important.