Simple & Delicious Homemade Herb Vinaigrette Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a basic vinaigrette a simple mixture of? ›

Vinaigrette (/ˌvɪnɪˈɡrɛt/ VIN-ih-GRET, French: [vinɛɡʁɛt]) is made by mixing an oil with a mild acid such as vinegar or lemon juice (citric acid). The mixture can be enhanced with salt, herbs and/or spices. It is used most commonly as a salad dressing, but can also be used as a marinade.

This is a standard vinaigrette recipe, so we use the traditional oil to vinegar ratio: three parts oil to one part vinegar/acid, but this ratio can vary depending on your choice of vinegar/acid and personal taste. The less acidic the vinegar/acid, the less oil you need.

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.

2 Ingredients: The basics

Traditional vinaigrette recipes call for a ratio of three parts oil to one part vinegar. However, some people—like me—prefer their dressings to pack more punch and choose a 2:1 oil-to-vinegar ratio.

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. My simple system is: In a small screw-top jar, place vinegar and a pinch of salt; cover and shake (this helps to dissolve the salt).

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.

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.

Basic Vinaigrette Ratio & Ingredients

Kale salads can tolerate more zingy dressings, while you'll want to use less vinegar for mild greens like spring greens. Here's what you'll need to make vinaigrette: Olive oil for your base. Vinegar of choice.

White wine vinegar: is best for salad mixes based on escarole, romaine and chicory salads. 3. Balsamic vinegar or sherry vinegar: very aromatic with a sweet note.

How to make homemade balsamic vinegar from scratch? ›

Quick Guide: Homemade Balsamic Vinegar

Crush Lambrusco or Trebbiano grapes to extract their juice (the “must”). Strain the must and simmer it for 2–3 days until it halves and thickens. Store it in a wooden barrel for a minimum of 12 years, transferring to a smaller barrel each year.

First Oil, Then Vinegar. It's somewhat akin to the old Far Side adage, "First Pants, Then Shoes." If you add the vinegar first, the oil slides off and ends up in a puddle at the bottom of the bowl, instead of coating every leaf. 3 to 1. This is the standard ratio of oil to vinegar: three parts oil to one part vinegar.

A basic vinaigrette is made from some kind of oil (often olive oil) whisked with an acidic ingredient, usually vinegar. The word comes from the French, a variation on vinaigre, or "aromatic vinegar." You can also make a vinaigrette using lemon juice.

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.

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.

Lets start with a vinaigrette. These are the lightest of all dressings. On the simplest level they're merely any kind of acid (think lemon, lime, vinegar etc.) whisked together with oil salt and pepper.

Vinaigrette is an oil-based salad dressing or marinade. When a restaurant server asks what kind of dressing you'd like on your salad, vinaigrette is usually one of the options. A basic vinaigrette is made from some kind of oil (often olive oil) whisked with an acidic ingredient, usually vinegar.