stable, and using high-quality extra-virgin olive oil
seems like a no-brainer as well, but combine the two,
and you’ve got a problem. You see, extra-virgin
olive oil droplets are composed of many tiny fat
fragments, many of which are bound tightly
together, preventing our taste buds from picking
them up. But whip the olive oil with enough vigor,
by, using a food processor or blender, and you end
up shearing those bitter-tasting fragments apart
from each other. The result is a vinaigrette or
mayonnaise with a markedly bitter taste. Not only
that, but these tiny fragments actually decrease the
efficacy of emulsifiers like mustard or lecithin,
making your sauce more likely to break.
So what if you want to have an ultra stable
mayonnaise that’s strongly flavored with extra-
virgin olive oil but has no bitterness? The key is to
use a neutral-flavored oil like canola or vegetable to
start your mayonnaise in the food processor. Once
it’s stable, transfer it to a bowl and whisk in some
extra-virgin olive oil by hand. You’ll get plenty of
flavor but none of the bitterness.

VINAIGRETTE RATIOS

Here’s the really awesome thing: now that you