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Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

A vinaigrette made with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and optional garlic.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Olive and garlic are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 25,665 recipes. Both carry linalool, which smells floral, citrus. The science ↓

Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

1¼ cups (310 ml/10 US fl oz)

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Mix everything together with a wire whisk until well combined.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

132Calories
0 gProtein
14 gFat
3 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  2. Pepper + garlictop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together27,090 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Vinegar + olivetop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together12,297 recipes

    Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).

  4. Vinegar + garlictop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,115 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

  5. Olive + peppertop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together30,263 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Balsamic vinegar
Provides the sharp acidity and deep, sweet-tart flavor that defines the vinaigrette.
Olive oil
Forms the fat base that carries flavor and gives the dressing a smooth, rich mouthfeel.
Garlic
Adds a sharp aromatic note that mellows as the dressing sits.

Swap the garlic

The recipe marks garlic as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, olive, pepper):

  1. Garlicthe original
  2. Tarragonfits about as well
  3. Basilfits about as well
  4. Rosemaryfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, olive, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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