Cooks Illustrated Foolproof Vinaigrette Recipes

Steps:

• Brine chicken and make vinaigrette:
• Bring water, sugar, and 1/2 cup salt to a boil in a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes. Cool brine completely, then add chicken and soak, covered and chilled, 6 hours.
• Remove chicken and pat dry.
• Whisk together lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, mint, cilantro, red pepper flakes, and remaining teaspoon salt in a large bowl, then add oil in a stream, whisking until combined.
• To cook chicken using a charcoal grill:
• Open vents on bottom of grill and on lid. Light a large chimney starter of charcoal (80 to 100 briquettes). Leaving about one quarter of grill free of charcoal, bank lit charcoal across rest of grill so that coals are about three times higher on the opposite side.
• When charcoal turns grayish white (after 15 to 20 minutes), check fire temperature and grill chicken parts according to instructions in accompanying article. Transfer chicken as cooked to bowl with vinaigrette and turn to coat, then transfer to a serving platter and keep warm, loosely covered with foil.
• When chicken is almost done, grill lime halves, cut sides down, uncovered, over coals until grill marks appear, about 3 minutes, then transfer to platter with chicken. Serve limes with chicken and serve remaining vinaigrette on the side.
• To cook chicken using a gas grill:
• Preheat all burners on high, covered, 10 minutes, then adjust heat to moderately high.
• For drumsticks, thighs, and wings (cooking time is longer than cooking times for charcoal grilling):
• Sear chicken in 2 batches on lightly oiled grill rack, covered with lid, turning over once, until well browned, 6 to 8 minutes total. Turn off 1 burner (middle burner if there are 3) and arrange all seared chicken on rack above shut-off burner.
• Cook seared chicken, covered with lid, moving chicken around grill (to avoid flare-ups) and turning over occasionally, until cooked through, 12 to 20 minutes. Transfer chicken as cooked to bowl with vinaigrette and turn to coat, then transfer to a serving platter and keep warm, loosely covered with foil.
• For breast halves:
• Sear chicken (in 2 batches if necessary to avoid crowding), starting with skin sides down, on grill, covered with lid, turning over once, until well browned, 8 to 10 minutes total. Turn off 1 burner (middle burner if there are 3) and arrange all breasts on rack over shut-off burner.
• Cook seared chicken, covered with lid, turning over once, until cooked through, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer chicken to bowl with vinaigrette and turn to coat, then transfer to platter to keep warm, loosely covered with foil.
• When chicken is almost done, grill lime halves, cut sides down, uncovered, over lit burner until grill marks appear, about 3 minutes, then transfer to platter with chicken. Serve limes with chicken and serve remaining vinaigrette on the side.

Steps:

• Makes about 1/4 cup, enough to dress 8 to 10 cups lightly packed greens 1. Combine vinegar, shallot, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper to taste in small nonreactive bowl. Whisk until mixture is milky in appearance and no lumps of mayonnaise remain. 2. Place oil in small measuring cup so that it is easy to pour. Whisking constantly, very slowly drizzle oil into vinegar mixture. If pools of oil are gathering on surface as you whisk, stop addition of oil and whisk mixture well to combine, then resume whisking in oil in slow stream. Vinaigrette should be glossy and lightly thickened, with no pools of oil on its surface. Technique Emulsification Magic A thoroughly emulsified vinaigrette is the key to the best flavor. Many vinaigrettes contain an agent that helps oil and vinegar combine into a unified sauce (and stay that way). We tested three emulsifiers-mustard, egg yolk, and mayonnaise-to find out which would hold the dressing together longest. THE EXPERIMENT Using separate stand mixers fitted with whisk attachments, we created three vinaigrettes: We added ¼ cup of vinegar to the bowl of each mixer, then added 1 tablespoon of mustard to one mixer, cracked an egg yolk into the second, and used 1 tablespoon of mayo in the third. Then we drizzled ¾ cup of oil into each mixer over the course of 30 seconds, with the mixers running at medium-high speed. Finally, we placed all blended samples on the counter and tracked their progress at 15-minute intervals. As a control, we also made one vinaigrette in a stand mixer with no emulsifier. RESULTS The egg yolk vinaigrette was still stable after more than three hours, making it the runaway winner for stability. The vinaigrette with mayonnaise showed signs of separation after 1½ hours, while the one with mustard started to break apart after only 30 minutes. The control began separating immediately and was almost completely separated after the first 15-minute interval. EXPLANATION Egg yolks contain a high percentage of lecithin, one of a group of fatty compounds known as phospholipids that act as potent emulsifiers, keeping oil droplets suspended within vinegar. Mayonnaise is made in part from egg yolk and therefore contains phospholipids, but a much smaller amount, so dressing made with mayonnaise was stable for a shorter time. The emulsifying component in mustard is a complex polysaccharide that is less effective than the lecithin found in egg yolks and mayonnaise. BOTTOM LINE Despite its superior stability, tasters rejected the vinaigrette made with egg yolk as too eggy. We ended up using ½ teaspoon of mayonnaise to emulsify our dressing and adding ½ teaspoon of mustard for flavor. Vinaigrettes made with oil and vinegar alone completely separated after 15 minutes. Vinaigrettes made with our mayo-based emulsion held together for 1 1/2 hours.