To make a vinaigrette, whisk three parts oil into one part acid with a little mustard, salt, and pepper until it emulsifies. The three-to-one ratio is the most useful in cooking and the base of nearly every salad dressing.
What is vinaigrette?
A vinaigrette is the simplest emulsion in the kitchen: oil and acid coaxed into holding together, with mustard doing the work of keeping them combined. It dresses salads, yes, but it also marinates, finishes roasted vegetables, and sauces grain bowls and grilled fish.
What makes it worth memorizing is the ratio. Three parts oil to one part acid is the backbone, and once it lives in your hands you can build any dressing on it by changing the oil, the acid, or what you stir in. It is the single highest-leverage thing a home cook can learn about sauces.
What goes in vinaigrette?
- ·3 tbsp olive oil
- ·1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice
- ·1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- ·1/4 tsp salt
- ·Black pepper to taste
Three parts oil to one part acid is the baseline, but it is a starting point, not a law. A sharper salad of bitter greens can take more acid; a delicate one wants more oil. The mustard is the emulsifier that keeps the dressing from splitting the moment you stop whisking.
How do you make vinaigrette?
- Whisk the acid, mustard, and salt together in a bowl until the salt dissolves.
- Add the oil in a slow stream, whisking constantly, until the dressing thickens slightly and looks unified.
- Taste and adjust, more acid for brightness, more oil to soften, more salt to round it out.
- Use right away, or shake everything in a sealed jar for a quick version that re-emulsifies with a shake.
What should you know before making vinaigrette?
- Dissolve the salt in the acid first. It will not dissolve once the oil goes in.
- Mustard is the glue. Even a small amount keeps the emulsion stable far longer.
- Adjust to the salad. The 3:1 ratio is a baseline you should bend to taste.
- A jar beats a whisk for storage. Shake to re-emulsify whatever you do not use.
Where did vinaigrette come from?
The vinaigrette is one of the oldest dressings in Western cooking, and Fannie Farmer's 1896 American cookery records the oil-and-acid ratios that home kitchens still use. Sarah Tyson Rorer and her contemporaries documented the same technique in the late nineteenth century.
Drawn from the public-domain text of Fannie Farmer, The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book (1896).
What can you make from vinaigrette?
Common questions.
What is the ratio for vinaigrette?
Three parts oil to one part acid is the classic ratio, plus mustard, salt, and pepper. Adjust to taste: more acid for a sharper dressing, more oil for a softer one.
How do you keep a vinaigrette from separating?
Add mustard. It is a natural emulsifier that holds the oil and acid together. Whisking the oil in slowly, or shaking in a jar, also helps.
What oil and vinegar should I use?
Extra-virgin olive oil and a wine or cider vinegar are reliable. Lemon juice works in place of vinegar. Match stronger oils, like walnut, to heartier salads.
What can I use vinaigrette for besides salad?
It marinates meat and vegetables, finishes roasted vegetables, dresses grain bowls, and sauces grilled fish. It is far more than a salad dressing.
How long does vinaigrette keep?
About a week in the fridge in a sealed jar. The oil may firm up cold, so let it come to room temperature and shake before using.