On Food and Cooking

dispersed in droplets, and the oil is the
continuous phase. This emulsion is much less
crowded with droplets, and accordingly a
vinaigrette is more fluid than mayonnaise.
Untraditional Vinaigrettes Nowadays the
term vinaigrette is used very broadly to mean
almost any kind of emulsified sauce enlivened
with vinegar, whether water-in-oil or oil-in-
water, cold or hot, destined for salads or
vegetables or meats or fish. You can make an
oil-in-water version simply by changing the
proportions: reducing the oil content and
diluting the vinegar with other watery
ingredients to provide more of the continuous
phase without excessive acidity. Creamy but
thin oil-in-water vinaigrettes can spread and
cling reasonably well, and have the advantage
over a classic vinaigrette of being slower to
discolor and wilt lettuce leaves. (Oil seeps
through breaks in the waxy leaf cuticle and
spreads into the leaf interior, where it
displaces air and causes the leaf to darken and