Summer Salads: The 5 Best Vinegars for Dressings (2024)

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Want to make a crisp and tasteful salad that everyone will love at home? Beside the quality of the main produces, salad dressing is one of the keys for success. A sauce that is too strong masks the various tastes, and the wrong mix can end up with a bland result. So to achieve the perfect salad dressing, let’s have a look at the different vinegars available on the market.

1. Wine vinegar:or red vinegar; it is the most classic form of vinegar. Use it with delicate salads (lettuce). As its flavor is strong, you can mix it with other ingredients like honey, orange juice or soy sauce before emulsify with oil.

2. White wine vinegar: is best for salad mixes based on escarole, romaine and chicory salads.

3. Balsamic vinegar or sherry vinegar: very aromatic with a sweet note. Use it with walnut oil in shellfish salads. Real balsamic vinegar is a bit creamy and expensive. Lots of products labeled as balsamic vinegar are, in fact, regular wine vinegar with addition of caramel.

4. Banyuls vinegar: For a bouquet of aromas and a bold character, very typical, thin and strong.It’s perfect for salads that includes tomatoes, ham, and crisper elements as pine nuts and parmesan shavings..

5. Apple cider vinegar: is much less acidic than wine vinegar. Use for a note of sweetness. Apple cider vinegar tastes milder so avoid mixing with olive oil which might too fragrant and mask vinegar.

Make sure to check this post about the best cooking oils for your salad dressing, to complete this serie.

(Image: Williams-Sonoma)