Use This Template to Make the Perfect Vinaigrette Every Time
A good vinaigrette should pierce the tongue with a powerful mix of salty, sweet and sour flavors. If you go too far in one direction or another, your salad will suffer. Making a great-tasting vinaigrette isn’t difficult, however, and using the templates above (and below) can help you succeed every time.
You are probably using too much oil.
As already noted by my distinguished colleague AA Newton, most vinaigrette recipes require too much oil and not enough acid. Newton remedies this by halving the amount of oil in any vinaigrette recipe she comes across, but this strategy only works with existing recipes.
If you want to make your own unique bespoke vinaigrette, it is best to start with a ratio of one part vinegar to one part oil, rather than one part vinegar to three parts oil is usually recommended. This may sound like overkill, but keep in mind that a good vinaigrette must be too intense to enjoy on its own. This is a gas station, not a gazpacho. Half a cup of dressing is enough for a family salad, so start with 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup acid .
For the oil, you can use something flavored, such as olive or hazelnut; or you can use a more neutral option like grape seeds, avocado, or canola and let the rest of the ingredients really shine. If you really want to go crazy, you can mix oils – for example, toasted sesame seeds and grape seeds to enhance the flavor of the former – just make sure you don’t go over the 1: 1 oil to acid ratio.
Almost any vinegar will work for acid, although I would avoid pure white vinegar. If you want a really tart dressing, you can add a tablespoon of white vinegar and three tablespoons of anything else, but I’m not kidding when I tell you it’s really tart. Lemon and lime juice are also very good, especially when combined with honey.
You must use mustard
Good mustard adds flavor to the vinaigrette and, more importantly, is the key to a stable emulsified dressing. Without it, oil and vinegar separate from each other in seconds, no matter how hard you shake. (Shake in the jar for best results.) Mustard with a lot of mucus provides the best emulsion, so choose Dijon or another whole grain option to enhance the stabilizing effect. A tablespoon will do the trick.
You gotta sweeten it honey
A little sugar makes the taste taste better, and salads are not devoid of this scientific fact. Liquid sweeteners dissolve the fastest, so opt for a syrup. I sweetened the vinaigrette with maple syrup, agave syrup, plain syrup and honey, and they all taste equally good. A tablespoon is all you need.
Add salt and other seasonings
Salt not only makes the taste salty, but also makes the taste palatable, and you’ll need 1/4 teaspoon of it for your vinaigrette to start singing. You can stop here and have an absolutely amazing gas station, but I know many of you won’t (and why would you). For other dry seasonings like cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, white pepper, and more, start with 1/4 teaspoon and add more to taste. For fresh herbs and onions (such as garlic and shallots), add minced, 1 teaspoon at a time , until you reach your desired potency level, remembering that the flavors intensify as they enter the dressing.
Finish with common sense!
It can be tempting to pick the tastiest option for each category, but remember it’s all about balance and choosing one or two scents to highlight so you don’t get confused. If you have a super-flavored infusion vinegar, consider using a mild oil. If you want to showcase Meyer’s lemon, perhaps skip the garlic. Also, check the ingredients in the vinegar for any additives, and possibly give them a taste with a piece of bread if you’re unsure of their flavor profile. Seasoned rice vinegar, as the name suggests, is pre-seasoned with salt and sugar, so you may not need the usual amount of salt. Fortunately, the vinaigrette is very easy to taste when making a vinaigrette, so add a little of any unfamiliar ingredients, shake, then taste and tweak as needed.