There seems to be at least three ways of making a dressing or vinaigrette: in a jar, drizzle directly on to the greens in the salad bowl (both of which you've shown in the videos) or in the salad bowl prior to adding the greens (not shown, ie add your mustard, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and whisk together then add your greens and toss). Perhaps its just personal preference but will it make a difference (as the more Mediterranean drizzle doesn't mix the ingredients quite so much as the jar method). Just wondering what Rouxbe's (and perhaps NWCAV's) opinion is on the methods. Thanks!

They're all good. When I do a salad at home, I make the vinaigrette in a large bowl then add the greens to it, however if I have too much vinaigrette then my salad is greasy or overdressed.
The jar works best for home, because you can control how much you add to your bowl of lettuce, easy to add more but not the other way, it's also great because you can make enough to last a few days if you don't add fresh herbs or garlic to it. Finally the drizzling on the salad itself is used usually in banqueting, it allows the cooks to pre plate hundred's of salad and then drizzle, usually from a squeeze bottle, the dressing/vinaigrette at the last minute, not as good because the dressing is not well mixed with the greens but never the less a practical way for large quantities. Now if you are dressing items like a tomato salad, asparagus, beets and so on, the drizzle works well because usually these items are spread on a plate and you can better control where the dressing ends up, but you mentioned "greens" so I ultimately recommend the jar method.

I either make a jar of dressing (I even have one in my fridge right now), or I use the Mediterranean Style. I do agree with Christophe though that drizzling dressing over salads is not so good. I really do not like getting a salad in restaurants when they do it this way.

However the Mediterranean Style where you mix the lettuce with the olive oil first and then add some vinegar (or fresh lemon) and seasonings and then mix again, is a great way to go. It is hassle-free and it has a nice fresh taste while still highlighting the lettuce.

Thanks very much. I must say the difference between being taught how to do something along with the "whys" rather than just being told to replicate is exceptionally helpful (and I love that Rouxbe does this consistently). Understanding that, for example, it is the proteins in mustard, egg, and milk products that help emulsions come together really helps the student branch out and try new combinations. Thanks!

well the simple yet torturing question is how do you add the garlic or other spices, minced or crushed or how...

The finer you break down the garlic, spice, or herb, the more intense flavour it will lend to the oil and acids. If adding more than one ingredients, don't crush or chop too fine as they will compete and cancel each other out. Keep in mind that a vinaigrette is all about the oil and vinegar, and besides salt, the added flavour should accent and not dominate the overall flavour.

Hope this helps.

i just bought some vegetables and i think tonight i will experiment with simple vinaigrettes

How long will a vinaigrette keep after being mixed? Can I make enough ahead of time to eat salads for a week? What about refrigeration? How does the presence of egg change how long a vinaigrette will keep?

If your vinaigrette has ingredients that have long shelf life on their own, such as oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper, it will last almost indefinitely in a clean jar (wash it in the dishwasher with lid). Once you introduce ingredients like herbs, shallots, and garlic, it's shelf life decreases (good for about a couple of weeks). Keep in mind that garlic can go off rather quickly. Garlic is best added to your vinaigrette base when needed only. Always refrigerate your vinaigrettes. Egg will dramatically decrease shelf life, unless using pasteurized eggs (don't bother), so use within a week.
Hope this helps.

Thanks, Tony. That is very helpful.

Whether I mix the vinaigrette at the bottom of the salad bowl or drizzle it over the salad, I don't hesitate to get my (impeccably-clean) hands involved in the process, coating each surface of the salad's ingredients with my fingers. That way I can leave the excess, if any, at the bottom of the bowl, and the salad has the perfect amount of dressing!

I am with you Jack...I love to get my hands in there, so I also like the Mediterranean way of dressing a salad.

What a fine variety of recipes you bring to Rouxbe! Love the Indian and the Italian - I now have another list of foods to recreate! Thank you.

How long is the shelf life of most vinegars? I have quite a few expensive ones that I purchased a while back and was wondering if I should toss them. They all seem to taste and smell OK.

Angie W

Given their acidity, they should last a few years at minimum...

I will always mix in a VERY LARGE coffee cup, at least 4" in diameter, just because they do need to be mixed thoroughly. Sometimes I use a fork, others I use an immersion blender (you know the "boat motor" you use for soups). I generally only make enough dressing for the salad I/we are eating that night. Just me, I like it to be fresh, I like it to be different from night to night. Never know if it should be a light vinaigrette or a nice emulsion with a little bit of dijon to give it a little bite. Just me a little kooky but keeping my kitchen lively. And fun. That's what cooking is all about. Could you imagine eating the same food night in night out? Well, same for dressing in my book.

Any suggestions for a good creamy caesar dressing? I've been working on recreating a really nice caesar salad with some capers, anchovies and fried thin garlic slices but most recipes I can find don't quite match up to the store bought caeser dressing. It's close - but I'm still not there. Any suggestions appreciated.

I use mayo it's much easier this way and safer too , you can use egg yolk and add olive oil which is mayo after all ?! so just use the store bought mayo .

the recipe :

1 C of mayo
2 anchovie fillets
2 cloves of garlic
1/3 C of Parmesan cheese
A dash of Worcestershire sauce
olive oil
salt and pepper
half a lemon juice

in a food processor put all the ingredient's except the oil and salt and pepper , pulse a few time but be careful not to split the mayo , add the oil while mixing then check for seasoning .

This was an old favorite quick dressing I used to make. Haven't tried it in a while but give it a whirl and drop a comment below the recipe. We can fine tune this until we get it perfect.

For now, it stays in the test kitchen pending further testing.

http://rouxbe.com/recipes/166

A lot of famous chefs like to add water to their vinaigrettes. Pierre Gagnaire & Gordon Ramsay come to mind - olive oil, lemon and water are the typical ingredients in their vinaigrettes. They say the water avoids the feeling of the olive oil sticking to the palate.

Has anyone here ever tried that? I've never tried - I usually simply mix mustard, vinegar and oil - but this lesson is encouraging me to experiment further!

Olive oil has a rich flavour and feel. Water will lighten it very successfully. But some people, like myself, can't get enough of the olive oil sticking to the palate. In fact, I'd bathe in good olive oil if I could afford to do so. It's a matter of taste. Experiment away, I say, till it feels and tastes right for you.

OK I'll have to buy gallons and gallons of olive oil so I can experiment bathing in it, see how I like it. :-))

Thanks Tony.

You do realise they make Olive Oil SOAP, and it feels lovely on the skin, not to be bias, but mostly for ladies. I suppose gents may partake as well. Touche.

i feel more empowered now that the oblique terminology has been broken down and deciphered. any plans on turning these into videos?

also, for the tips that aren't videos (yet?), any way for them to be more easily referenced, like having them listed separately under the Tips tab as "Non-video Tips" or something. i feel like this would be info that i would like to refer back to, but at the moment need to retrace through other videos to access this and other tips.

or am i having another "scrollbar difficulty" moment with the answer staring at me in my face, inches from information whiplash?

thank you

Hi Eunice,

We are working on improving ways to find content on the site. For now, type olive oil into the search field at the top right of any page and it will bring up resources on the site that speak to "olive oil", such as this link:

http://rouxbe.com/tips-techniques/330-how-to-choose-olive-oil

You need to explore the various tabs in the search results page to find it. Olive oil is under tips and techniques.

Some of these may be made into videos in the future.