Making sauces is one of my favorite parts of cooking, and my favorite kind of sauce is a vinaigrette. Making a vinaigrette is so incredibly easy, you almost always have the ingredients on hand, and, once you get the hang of it, you don’t need a recipe. You can get creative with fresh herbs, different vinegars and citrus juices, and even different oils. And while most of my vinaigrettes are destined for salads, I use them on all kinds of other dishes as well: grilled fish, seared steak, steamed green beans, boiled potatoes—just about everything but dessert…although I do like a citrus vinaigrette on fruit salad.

The method is as easy as one-to-three

The classic formula for a vinaigrette is one part vinegar to three parts oil. I use this as my starting point and then taste and add a bit more of whatever it takes to make a dressing that’s very bright and tangy but not so sharp that it takes your breath away. It’s important to remember, however, that you’ll be using just a small amount of it and putting it on something fairly mild, so the sauce itself should be very full flavored.

Something to always keep in mind is the freshness of your oil. Oils can go rancid more quickly that you might think, and even a vegetable oil that seems so “shelf-stable” can oxidize over time. Whenever I open a new bottle of any kind of oil, I sample a small spoonful so I have a memory of how it tastes when it’s fresh. Then every time I use it, I taste it again to be sure it’s still in top condition. If you have open bottles of oil that have been on the shelf for more than a few months, I’d say toss them and start fresh before making your next vinaigrette.

制作醋汁的方法涉及一种称为乳化的过程，这只是获取油和水（或醋）混合的行为。有多种方法可以进行混合（见下文），但是它们都受益于有助于乳化的“桥梁”成分。盐和鸡蛋都充当乳化剂，但最方便，最美味的奶油奶油是芥末酱。少量的芥末（我使用dijon）结合了醋汁，并帮助它保持这种方式（奶油和增厚），而我在大多数食谱中要求的半茶匙并没有真正添加芥末味。如果您的酱汁确实失去了乳液化并将其分成油和醋层，请不要担心，只需在食用之前再次将其混合。

Mixing it up

Use whatever tool is most comfortable for you. I used to reach for my whisk, but ever since my sister gave me an Aerolatte (right) for my morning coffee, I’ve been using it for vinaigrettes—it’s fun and fast. Blenders are good for large quantities; food processors can work in a pinch. Simply shaking the ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid will also produce beautifully blended vinaigrettes.

There are a couple of tools on the market that are especially helpful with making vinaigrettes.Tabletools.com带有咖啡泡泡沫涡轮豪华，这是一种迷你浸泡搅拌器，除了做出出色的咖啡工作外，它还乳化醋。TableTools.com还携带Aerolatte Milk Frother，类似地将醋汁搅拌。Bonjour沙拉厨师，可从Kitchenkapers.com，是醋汁小工具中的下一个水平，带有玻璃水瓶，可以握住醋汁和微小的搅拌机。