DRESSING Family #1:
VINAIGRETTESFor me, the big question about vinaigrettes has never really
been “how?” but “why?” Is emulsifying the oil and acid
really necessary? Can’t I just drizzle olive oil and vinegar
over my greens, toss ’em in the bowl, and get the same
result? Why must my vinaigrette be so carefully constructed?
To get the answers to these questions, a bit of hard-core
kitchen work was in order.
First things first: What exactly is an emulsion? At its most
basic, it’s what you get when you force two things that don’t