• pinterest
  • instagram
  • twitter
  • facebook
  • youtube
  • About Us
  • |
  • Contact Us
  • 888.881.9957
  • [email protected]
Kitchen Kneads Ogden, UT Kitchen Supply Store

Kitchen Kneads

Kitchen Store

Search Website

Shop Products
Wishlist Login Track Your Order
  • Appliances
        • Grain Mills
          • WonderMill (Electric)
          • WonderMill JR
            • WonderMill Accessories
        • Mixers
          • Revolution
            • Revolution Accessories
          • Bosch
            • Bosch Accessories
        • Specialty Appliances
          • Dehydrators & Sprouters
          • Humidifiers & Diffusers
        • Bread Makers
        • Pasta & Tortilla Makers
        • Waffles and Griddles
        • Chocolate Melters
        • Ice Cream and Yogurt
        • Food & Meat Slicers
        • Pressure Cookers
          • Presto Pressure Cooker Parts
  • Chocolate and Candy
        • Baking Chocolate
        • Chocolate Blocks
        • Chocolate & Candy Molds
          • Chocolate Molds
          • Hard Candy Molds
        • Milk Chocolate
        • Dark Chocolate
        • White Chocolate
        • Cocoa
        • Caramels
        • Cotton Candy
  • Gadgets
        • Pots & Pans
          • Specialty Pans
          • Bread & Pizza
          • Cookie & Sheets Pans
          • Pan Sets
          • Cake Pans
          • Scones, Muffin & Popovers Pans, Pots & Pans
          • Pies & Tarts, Pots & Pans
          • Scones, Muffin & Popovers Pans
          • Splatter Screens & Lids
          • Pans
        • Storage
        • Decorating Supplies
          • Piping Tips
          • Pastry Bags
        • Peel, Slice, Chop
        • Fruits & Vegetables
        • Garlic Presses & Peelers
        • Openers
        • Beverage Service
        • Food Mills & Mashers
        • Sifters
        • Pie & Biscuit Cutters
        • Cleaning
        • Tags and Cards
        • Colanders & Strainers
        • Rolling Pins
        • Books
        • Sprouting Seeds & Supplies
        • Oil & Seasoning
        • Bowls, Glasses & Mugs
        • Cookie Cutters
        • Food Mold / Food Ring
        • Bags and BoxesBags, wraps, and boxes for all your packaging needs. Perfect for candies, snacks, and more!
        • Funnels
        • Parchment & Baking Mats
        • Linens
        • Utensils
          • Spatulas & Spoons
          • Brushes
          • Whisks
          • Tongs
          • Flatware
          • Food Dishers
        • Knives & Cutting Boards
          • Kitchen Shears
        • Measuring Cups and Spoons
        • Serving
        • Specialty Tools
          • Cheese Tools
          • Herb Tools
          • Egg Tools
          • Pastry Tools
          • Grilling Tools
          • Meat, Poultry & Seafood Tools
          • Ice Cream & Ice Pop Tools
          • Torches
        • Thermometers, Timers and Scales
  • Ingredients
        • Grains, Beans, & Rice
          • Grains
          • Rice
          • Beans
        • Jerky Flavoring
          • Baking Enhancers
          • Leaveners & Thickeners
          • Oils & Salts
          • Flours
            • Signature Flours
            • Specialty Flours
            • Gluten-Free Flours
            • Organic Flours
            • Nut Flours
            • Cake & Pastry Flours
        • Herbs & Spices
        • Sugars & Decorations
        • Vanillas
        • Food Coloring
        • Flavors
          • Popcorn Coatings
          • Torani
          • Flavored Oils
          • Extracts
        • Ready To Eat
        • Popcorn
  • Salt City Nut Company
        • Fruits, Seeds & Flavored Chips
        • Fruit
        • Seeds
        • Flavored Chips
        • Nut & Candy Gift Boxes
          • Signature Collection
          • Premium Collection
          • Holiday Collection
        • Nut Mixes
        • Fresh Nuts
        • Peanuts
        • Hazelnuts
        • Cashews
        • AlmondsAlmonds contain many health-benefiting nutrients. Almonds are rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals and packed with numerous health-promoting phytochemicals. A great source of vitamin E (about 170% of RDA) means almonds contain powerful lipid soluble antioxidants. Almonds are gluten-free. Such formula preparations are healthy alternatives for people with wheat food allergies and celiac disease.
        • Brazils
        • Walnuts
        • Pecans
        • Pistachios
  • Brands
  • Cooking Classes

How To Make The Perfect Vinaigrette

How To Make The Perfect Vinaigrette

When the temperature turns north of 80°  F our desire for light and refreshing meals increase exponentially. Vinaigrettes are a perfect method to deliver the right balance of savory and citrus and when you get it right it elevates the most simple salad to greatness. 

Vinaigrettes are a temporary emulsion at best. You see, oil and vinegar don’t mix. I am confident that you have seen this. You need to shake up that bottle of salad dressing and the two parts come together. However, when you set it down in just seconds you can see the two parts start to separate again, leaving you with the oil on top and the vinegar at the bottom.

Now, you might ask if there is a permanent emulsion out there. Well, there is and it’s is called mayonnaise. However, how to make the best homemade mayonnaise is a blog post for another time. I would like to share a few tips and tricks to help you turn out perfect vinaigrettes every time.

The Basics of Vinaigrettes

It’s helpful that you remember the basic formula for vinaigrettes. Well, it’s really a ratio. The perfect ratio is 3 to 1. Three parts oil to one part vinegar. So, as long as you stick to this guiding rule, you won’t need to download any vinaigrette recipe again! Just stick to the basic ratio and everything will be all right.

I would suggest there is also a better way to taste test your vinaigrette and it’s not a spoon. I wish this idea was mine, and I cannot recall the exact source. However, if you dip a piece of lettuce in, shake off any excess dressing and then take a taste. This process will give you a better idea of how your dressing will taste in your salad vs. the straight method.

[Also see: Bluapple on produce storage]

The Oils

The journey down your local mega-mart aisle can be a little intimidating, to say the least. The average mega-mart aisle carries 20-40 different oils. Here’s what you need to know: any oils labeled “vegetable oil” or “salad oil” are just fine for you to make a basic vinaigrette. You could also use any oil that is light and has a neutral flavor like safflower, canola, or soybean oil. One of the most common oils to use is olive oil. If you choose to use olive oil, you should use the best stuff you can afford. Make sure it’s extra virgin. The cheaper or more light varieties are items you should stay away from.

Less expensive olive oils will tend to bring an unwanted bitter taste as well not give you the cleaner taste of an extra virgin will bring you. Trust me the better you can afford, the better the results. You can save the cheaper, refined oils for cooking.

The Vinegars

Now, the next question is which types of vinegar to use. Each vinegar has different strengths and the ratio may need to be adjusted slightly. You may also want a more tart dressing at times or a more mild version. However, I always advise still sticking the basic 3:1 ratio.

White vinegar is the most neutral flavored vinegar and as a result, this doesn’t make a very compelling vinaigrette. If you’re still trying to get your feet wet and not go too heavy in the vinegar you can at the very least use a white wine vinegar.  However, if you want to take a walk on the more adventurous side, I would suggest specialty types of vinegar like balsamic, raspberry, or sherry.

Let’s talk about a few of my favorites. Cider vinegar is made from apples and tends to lend a more fruity taste to your vinaigrette. Balsamic vinegar tends to be aged and treated in wood casks and as a result is very dark, has turned sweet, and can be used in so many applications.

Juices?

Didn’t we just talk about the ratio between oil and vinegar? Yes, we did. However, citrus juices can add a nice component to a vinaigrette. Juice is generally used to enhance the vinaigrette. You can play around with the amount of vinegar and juices, but it is my experience that juices like lemon are not meant to replace the vinegar but to add to and compliment the flavor.

Don’t stop at lemon. You can use different kinds of juices. Citrus fruits are the most common because they contain a high acid content. If you use orange juice, you will find it adds a nice sweetness instead of a tart flavor.

The Seasonings

You don’t need to go crazy in the seasoning department. Just a little bit of kosher salt or pepper. However, the addition of some minced garlic, onion, shallots and some herbs can often make the day.

I also consider honey a flavoring and is a home-run-hitter because it adds such a nice balance to the tartness of the vinegar or any citrus you might add. Honey also serves as a separate champion because it keeps the emulsion together longer. I have found that a vinaigrette that has honey in it will remain mixed for double the time that a standard vinaigrette does. Certainly, longer than your dinner party as your guests would be eating their salad.

Mixing

The absolute fool-proof way (and the easiest) is to combine the oil and vinegar in a blender. If you don’t have a blender, you could combine everything in a tumbler glass or a stainless steel bowl and just whisk the ingredients together. Do not use an aluminum bowl! The acid from the vinegar will react with the aluminum and you will feel like you just licked a metal can. 

Once you have the dressing all mixed up, it’s best to let the flavors marry for a while, especially when you have gone beyond the basic vinaigrette and are introducing the additional ingredients mentioned above (minced onion, garlic, herbs etc). In a perfect world, you’d be preparing the vinaigrette in advance of the time needed and allow it to sit for 1 to 3 hours. 

[team title=”” limit=”8″ members=”9037″ link_to_pages=”yes” width_of_single_box=”one-third” ]

Filed Under: Essential Oils|Healthy Eats|Sides Tagged With: vinaigrette, vinegar

June 8, 2017 by Alan Crane Leave a Comment

  • pinterest
  • instagram
  • twitter
  • facebook

Kitchen Kneads is your one-stop shop for quality grains, flour, kitchen appliances, and other ingredients.

We are Utah’s premier baking and cooking resource!

Questions?

888-881-9957
[email protected]

 

Office

Monday9:30am - 5:00pm
Tuesday9:30am - 6:00pm
Wednesday9:30am - 6:00pm
Thursday9:30am - 6:00pm
Friday9:30am - 6:00pm
Saturday9:30am - 5:00pm
SundayCLOSED

Helpful Sources & Info

  • My Account
  • Log Out
  • Wishlist
  • Cart
  • Customer Service
  • Contact Us
  • Meet The Staff
  • Careers
  • About Us
  • Cooking Classes
  • Blog
  • Why Choose Us
  • Baking Glossary
Kitchen Kneads Ogden, UT Kitchen Supply Store
Kitchen Kneads is your one stop shop for quality grains, flour, kitchen appliances and other ingredients. We are Utah’s premiere baking and cooking resource! Questions? 888-881-9957 [email protected]
Kitchen Kneads Ogden, UT Kitchen Supply Store

Payment Methods

Kitchen Kneads Ogden, UT Kitchen Supply Store
Kitchen Kneads Ogden, UT Kitchen Supply Store
Kitchen Kneads Ogden, UT Kitchen Supply Store
Kitchen Kneads Ogden, UT Kitchen Supply Store
Kitchen Kneads Ogden, UT Kitchen Supply Store
2022 | Kitchen Kneads | All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Terms | XML Sitemap | Site by PDM