White Wine Vinaigrette Recipe | Julie Blanner (2024)

FAQs

What are some common mistakes to avoid when making vinaigrette? ›

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.

Here is a perfect example of a culinary ratio, one that's fairly standard: The 3-to-1 vinaigrette, or 3 parts oil, 1 part vinegar.

A Splash Of Water Makes A Smoother-Tasting Vinaigrette

Most ingredients in salad dressings, especially vinaigrettes, bring pretty strong flavors — vinegar, citrus, herbs, onions, garlic, and so on. Adding a touch of water won't suppress all those flavors, it'll just tone down the acidic bite.

Sweetness balances out acidity, spice, and bitterness. A salad composed of bitter greens may benefit from a sweeter dressing. But sweetness can come from sources other than one-note white sugar; consider honey, pureed dates, maple syrup, jam, or molasses as sweeteners that also add flavor and mouth-feel.

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.

Common ingredients used as emulsifiers in vinaigrettes include Dijon mustard, honey, egg yolks, tomato paste or even roasted garlic (some are better emulsifiers than others). Lastly, you'll want your vinaigrette to have a lot of flavor, so it's a good idea to add herbs, salt and pepper.

Mustard is a powerful emulsifier and will help stabilize it. To build a normal emulsion without any help from mustard or other emulsifiers, you must add the drops of oil a little at a time into the vinegar while whisking or whizzing with a blender or stick blender, allowing them to disperse.

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.

How do you know if homemade vinaigrette is bad? ›

According to Reader's Digest, oil-based salad dressings, such as a balsamic vinaigrette or Italian dressing, tend to last longer than mayo-based dressings. In general, these dressings can last for up to a few weeks (via Know Your Pantry). However, once they've expired, they will give off a noticeable rancid smell.