Kitchen & Bar

On this phone

How to get around

The bar across the top scrolls sideways. These are the same stops, with the job of each one written out.

Emulsion

Vinaigrette

Dispersing fat into acid so it stays dispersed for as long as dinner takes, which is all it has to do.

What you are actually controlling

  • acid phase
  • fat phase
  • emulsifier
  • agitation
  • ratio

Naming the dials is most of the difference between cooking and following. Everything below is a way of moving one of these.

How it goes wrong

  • separates immediately
  • greasy
  • too sharp
  • dull

If your result is on this list, the step it belongs to is named below and so is the way back.

The loop

Vinaigrette5 steps. Each step shows the cue that confirms it worked below the step, and above it the way it fails together with the correction that returns you to the same step.GOES WRONGGrit at the bottom, and adressing that tastes flatdespite the salt you…1Season the acidfirstLOOKS RIGHTNo grains visible when youtilt the bowl.GOES WRONGClear acid, and a dressingthat splits the moment youstop whisking.2Add an emulsifierLOOKS RIGHTThe acid looks cloudy andslightly thickened beforeany oil is added.GOES WRONGA pool of oil sitting ontop no matter how hard youwhisk.3Oil in a threadLOOKS RIGHTIt thickens and lightensin colour as it goes.GOES WRONGIt tasted right off thespoon and disappearsentirely on the salad.4Taste it on a leaf,not off a spoonLOOKS RIGHTBright but not puckeringwhen tasted on somethingit will dress.GOES WRONGNothing — this is correctbehaviour, not a fault.5Accept that it willseparateLOOKS RIGHTIt comes back togetherwith a shake.
Read down, not just across. Below each step is the cue that says it worked; above it, dashed, is how it fails and the correction that sends you back to the same step.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Season the acid first

    Salt dissolves in vinegar or lemon juice and will not dissolve in oil. Do it now or it stays gritty.

    Looks right
    No grains visible when you tilt the bowl.
    Goes wrong
    Grit at the bottom, and a dressing that tastes flat despite the salt you added.
    Way back
    Whisk longer before the oil goes in, or warm the acid slightly.
  2. 2

    Add an emulsifier

    A teaspoon of mustard, a little honey, a spoon of yogurt, a smashed anchovy. Something with a foot in both phases.

    Looks right
    The acid looks cloudy and slightly thickened before any oil is added.
    Goes wrong
    Clear acid, and a dressing that splits the moment you stop whisking.
    Way back
    You can add mustard late and re-whisk. It works, though not as well as it would have at the start.
  3. 3

    Oil in a thread

    Whisk hard and pour slowly. Fast oil makes droplets too large to stay suspended.

    Looks right
    It thickens and lightens in colour as it goes.
    Goes wrong
    A pool of oil sitting on top no matter how hard you whisk.
    Way back
    Start a fresh bowl with a teaspoon of mustard and a spoon of the broken mixture, whisk it tight, then add the rest of the broken mixture slowly. Rebuilding it is reliable; rescuing it in place is not.
  4. 4

    Taste it on a leaf, not off a spoon

    Straight vinaigrette tastes far sharper than vinaigrette on lettuce. Judge it where it will be eaten.

    Looks right
    Bright but not puckering when tasted on something it will dress.
    Goes wrong
    It tasted right off the spoon and disappears entirely on the salad.
    Way back
    More acid and more salt. Dressing that has to travel through a leaf needs to be louder than it seems.
  5. 5

    Accept that it will separate

    A vinaigrette without egg or gum is a temporary emulsion. It has to hold for minutes, not days.

    Looks right
    It comes back together with a shake.
    Goes wrong
    Nothing — this is correct behaviour, not a fault.
    Way back
    Shake it. Chasing permanence here means adding stabilizers a salad does not need.

Watch somebody do it

Third-party video. Opens in a new tab — nothing is embedded and nothing is fetched from a video platform until you click.

Reviewed video for this technique. Reading a cue is one thing; seeing it is faster.

Others in emulsion