Why it works: Vinegar and olive are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,297 recipes. Both carry isoamyl acetate, which smells banana, fruity. The science ↓
French Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dressing
Combine one tablespoonful of vinegar, three tablespoonfuls of olive oil, a saltspoonful of salt, one of white pepper, and a few drops of sauce.
Prepare the lettuce
Wash lettuce leaf by leaf in very cold water.
Drain lettuce in a basket.
Place lettuce on ice.
Serve
At serving time, put lettuce into the salad bowl.
Tear lettuce with a fork and spoon; do not cut with a knife.
Do not allow lettuce to stand after the dressing is poured over it.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Salt | 1 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.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
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.
-
Vinegar + olivetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked 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
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that sharpens the dressing and balances the richness of the oil.
- Olive oil
- Supplies fat that carries flavour and gives the dressing body.
The step that matters
Dress the lettuce just before serving. Salt and acid draw water out of lettuce leaves through osmosis, so if the dressing sits on the leaves they soften and wilt. Adding it at the last moment keeps the leaves crisp.
“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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