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Salad

Basic Vinaigrette

A simple vinaigrette made with red wine vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Vinegar and mustard are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,067 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓

Basic Vinaigrette

½ cups (125 ml/4.2 US fl oz)

Ingredients

Directions

Make the vinaigrette

  1. Whisk together vinegar and mustard.

  2. Slowly stream in oil while whisking continuously.

  3. Taste and check for seasoning; adjust as desired.

Serve

  1. Toss with salad greens and serve.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

131Calories
0 gProtein
14 gFat
2 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Mustard1 tsp (5g) yellow3
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. Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,067 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  2. Olive + mustardtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,950 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  3. Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,430 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Red wine + vinegartop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together575 recipes

    Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

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

    Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).

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

What each ingredient does

Red wine vinegar
Provides the sharp acidity that balances the richness of the oil.
Extra-virgin olive oil
Supplies the fat that gives the dressing body and a smooth mouthfeel.
Dijon mustard
Acts as an emulsifier, helping the oil and vinegar stay combined.

The step that matters

Streaming in the oil slowly while whisking. Adding oil gradually while whisking breaks it into tiny droplets that stay suspended in the vinegar. Pouring it in too fast lets the oil separate out, leaving a greasy, split dressing.

Swap the mustard

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (red wine, vinegar, olive, pepper):

  1. Tomatofits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Mustardthe original
  4. Cucumberfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against red wine, 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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