What is vinaigrette sauce, what ingredients are traditionally included in it? What is its benefit, can everyone eat this aromatic additive? How to make a sauce on your own, what dishes will it emphasize in the best way?
Vinaigrette is a French cuisine sauce, the traditional ingredients of which are oil and vinegar. Additional ingredients are usually mustard, salt and black pepper. However, in a classic recipe, certain ingredients of "zest" are often introduced - various herbs, spices, chopped vegetables, etc. It is noteworthy that even today the vinaigrette is ranked among the delights of French cuisine, there is a version according to which it was "invented" ancient Egyptians. One way or another, this salad dressing definitely deserves attention, since it can not only make the taste of the dish brighter and more interesting, but also improve your health.
Composition and calorie content of vinaigrette sauce
The composition of the vinaigrette sauce is largely determined by the cook's imagination: firstly, you can take different types of oil and vinegar as a basis, and secondly, various additional ingredients can be used to personalize the taste. But if we still talk about a classic recipe that ideally combines taste and health benefits, the ingredients will be as follows: wine vinegar, olive oil, mustard, pepper and salt.
The calorie content of the vinaigrette sauce in this composition is 498 kcal per 100 grams, of which:
- Proteins - 0.4 g;
- Fat - 54.3 g;
- Carbohydrates - 1 g;
- Dietary fiber - 0.7 g;
- Water - 40 g;
- Organic acids - 1, 1 g.
Please note that although the calorie content of the sauce is not small and there are almost 40 grams of fat per 100 grams of the product, it fits perfectly into the diet.
Firstly, a dish does not need a lot of dressing to create a unique taste; secondly, the fats of olive oil are represented by useful monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are absolutely necessary for our body to support many vital processes. In addition, healthy fatty acids are a real beauty “vitamin” for women. However, the usefulness of the sauce is not limited to this "vitamin" alone, it also contains many other biologically active substances.
Macronutrients per 100 g:
- Potassium - 31, 38 mg;
- Calcium - 20, 51 mg;
- Magnesium - 6, 54 mg;
- Sodium - 861, 16 mg;
- Phosphorus - 9.7 mg;
- Sulfur - 5.22 mg;
- Chlorine - 1270 mg.
Microelements per 100 g:
- Iron - 0.941 mg;
- Manganese - 0.1383 mg;
- Cobalt - 0, 319 mcg;
- Copper - 32, 46 mcg;
- Molybdenum - 2.34 mcg;
- Selenium - 1, 116 mcg;
- Fluorine - 0.78 mcg;
- Zinc - 0.0634 mg.
Vitamins per 100 g:
- Vitamin A, RE - 0.4 mcg;
- Beta carotene - 0.004 mg;
- Vitamin B1 - 0.013 mg;
- Vitamin B2 - 0, 006 mg;
- Vitamin B4 - 0, 96 mg;
- Vitamin B5 - 0.01 mg;
- Vitamin B6 - 0.09mg;
- Vitamin B9 - 0.436 mcg;
- Vitamin C - 0.49 mg;
- Vitamin E - 6, 592 mg;
- Vitamin K - 3.5 mcg;
- Vitamin PP, NE - 0.041 mg.
Also, the product contains important organic acids in the amount of 1 g per 100 g of sauce.
The benefits of vinaigrette sauce
The health benefits of French salad dressing is a combination of the health benefits of its main ingredients. We will continue to consider the sauce based on the composition - olive oil, wine vinegar, mustard.
So, the benefits of vinaigrette sauce are the following beneficial effects:
- Prevention of diseases of the heart and blood vessels … A diet high in the right fats, which are found in abundance in olive oil, is a good prevention of cardiovascular disease. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids increase the level of HDL - the so-called good cholesterol, lower the level of LDL - bad cholesterol. It is also important to note that wine vinegar contains potassium and magnesium, minerals that are very important for healthy heart muscle function.
- Anti-inflammatory effect … Olive oil contains a powerful antioxidant vitamin E (tocopherol). It has a whole range of beneficial effects on the body: anti-inflammatory effect, prevention of premature aging of the skin and other tissues and organs, reducing the likelihood of developing tumor processes, including malignant ones. By the way, the last property should be mentioned separately. Recently, the so-called anticancer agents have been found in olive oil and wine vinegar - squalene and terpenoids in the former and resveratol in the latter, which, along with tocopherol, significantly increase the body's anti-cancer defenses.
- Obesity protection … Contrary to the popular belief that fat leads to weight gain, nutritionists say the opposite - a diet low in fat leads to overeating, and a diet rich in the right fats helps to satisfy hunger faster and feel fuller longer. In 2002, a large-scale experiment was carried out that proved that the olive oil diet was more effective than the low-fat diet. In turn, moderate consumption of wine vinegar is also a good prevention of obesity and diabetes.
- Improving hormonal levels … Vinaigrette sauce with olive oil helps to improve hormonal levels, stabilize the nervous system. A 2011 study in Spain concluded that olive oil prevented the risk of developing clinical depression. Wine vinegar also has a beneficial effect on the nervous system, helping to fight chronic fatigue, and mustard stimulates the brain, improves memory.
- Beneficial effect on the digestive system … The product also benefits from the normalization of the gastrointestinal tract. Yellow mustard neutralizes pathogenic flora and increases the digestibility of food, wine vinegar has a beneficial effect on the work of the gallbladder, and olive oil contains a lot of dietary fiber, they help improve peristalsis, get rid of constipation, flatulence.
- Cleansing the body … Olive oil helps a lot in the liver, it processes and removes strong toxins, salts of heavy metals, radionuclides from the body. This property is especially useful for smokers and people who often drink alcoholic beverages.
- Vitamin beauty … It has already been proven that olive oil has a beneficial effect on the skin, it helps fight imperfections, relieves the first signs of aging. The mustard in the sauce can even fight off diseases such as psoriasis and neurodermatitis. Also, the product promotes the growth of hair and eyelashes, making them both fuller and thicker.
- Benefits for men … For men, vinaigrette sauce is the most important product, all its ingredients in combination improve blood circulation in the pelvic organs, which means they stimulate potency. In addition, the beneficial effects of olive oil on sperm motility have been noted.
- Strengthening immunity … Mustard has a powerful stimulating effect on the immune system. During the period of seasonal colds, it is especially important to introduce it into the diet. It should be noted that the product not only has a preventive effect, but also helps to treat ARVI.
As you can see, the benefits of French salad dressing are already comprehensive, but remember that it can always be enhanced by adding spices, herbs and other healthy ingredients to the sauce.
Note! The type of oil and vinegar has a huge impact on the beneficial properties of vinaigrette sauce. This means that if you replace cold-pressed olive oil with refined sunflower oil, and take synthetic table vinegar instead of natural vinegar, the product will be more harmful than useful.
Contraindications and harm of vinaigrette sauce
However, the sauce prepared according to the classic recipe can also harm the body, therefore, before preparing it, you need to familiarize yourself with the contraindications. First of all, it is necessary to say about the importance of the measure - any product, no matter how useful, can become harmful if consumed excessively. Use reasonable amounts of dressing and alternate with other healthy sauces.
In addition, it is important to consider the storage characteristics of the sauce. As we said above, it contains such a useful component as vitamin E, however, in the air and in the light, it oxidizes and turns into a harmful one. This means that the sauce must be prepared directly as needed, it is not worth making it for future use.
Otherwise, if you do not have health problems, the harm of the vinaigrette sauce is unlikely to spread to you, otherwise, read the contraindications for each ingredient before introducing the product into the diet.
Classic sauce is prohibited when:
- Diseases of the digestive system, such as ulcers, gastritis with high acidity, cholecystitis;
- Pregnancy and lactation;
- Allergies to grapes;
- With diseases of the lungs and kidneys;
Note! If you add other ingredients to the sauce, you should also clarify their contraindications.
Also, it is worth noting that if you, in principle, have health problems, albeit not listed above, it is better to consult a doctor before adding sauce, even a classic composition, to your diet.
How to make vinaigrette sauce?
Despite the fact that the sauce consists of only three ingredients, it is not so easy to prepare it. It is important to respect the proportions and technology. Since you have to work with poorly mixed ingredients, you can achieve their complete "interconnection" only by following a certain scheme of work.
Consider several recipes for vinaigrette sauce:
- Classic vinaigrette sauce … Pour vinegar (2 tablespoons) into a bottle with a tight-fitting lid (preferably glass), put Dijon mustard (2 teaspoons), a couple of pinches of salt and pepper each. Close the bottle, turn upside down and shake with a funnel. When the seasonings and vinegar combine, add 6 tablespoons of olive oil and continue shaking. When the ingredients are combined, the sauce is ready.
- Vinaigrette sauce with honey … The vinaigrette is perfectly combined with honey, for this it must be added to the above recipe in the amount of 1 teaspoon. The cooking technology will be as follows: first, vinegar and seasonings are mixed, then honey is added to them and at the end oil.
- Orange juice sauce … In this recipe, orange juice (1 tablespoon) is taken instead of honey and added to the sauce after mixing the vinegar and seasonings.
Any version of the sauce can also be diversified with herbs, your favorite spices and even vegetables chopped in a blender - there are so many options for making vinaigrette that you can safely fantasize without fear of spoiling the taste.
By the way, if you don't want to mix the sauce in the bottle, you can use the same blender or whisk the dressing in a deep bowl.
Note! It is best to prepare the sauce one hour before meals. After 3 hours after preparation, it is already undesirable to use the dressing.
Recipes with vinaigrette sauce
The classic French sauce is good not only as a dressing for salads, it is also perfect for adding an exquisite taste to the second courses - meat and fish. Let's take a look at some interesting recipes:
- Italian salad … Put the torn salad mix - corn and iceberg (20 grams each), as well as arugula (20 grams) on a serving plate with your hands. On a Korean grater, grate the carrots (1 piece), cut the cherry tomatoes (250 grams) into halves or quarters, depending on the size. Finely grate Parmesan (20 grams), chop walnuts (20 grams). Put carrots, tomatoes on a salad pillow, top with cheese, nuts, season with vinaigrette sauce to taste and stir. After 10-15 minutes, you can eat the salad.
- Grilled chicken breast with vinaigrette sauce … Rinse chicken breast (500 grams), cut into portions, put in a bowl. Pour over soy sauce (3 tablespoons), vegetable oil (2 tablespoons), add finely chopped garlic (2 cloves) and ginger (1 teaspoon). After half an hour, heat up the grill (if not, a frying pan), fry the chicken pieces over high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side. Put on portioned plates, pour over the vinaigrette sauce. Rice and vegetables are ideal side dishes.
- Fish with almonds and vinaigrette sauce … Lightly fry almonds (30 grams) in a pan, grind into large pieces with a grinder. Fry the fillet of your favorite sea fish (400 grams) separately in a pan over high heat, for 2-3 minutes on each side. Add finely chopped onions (half an onion) to the classic sauce, leave for 10 minutes. Put the finished fish on a portioned plate, pour over the sauce, sprinkle with almonds. Potatoes are an ideal side dish.
As you can see, all recipes with vinaigrette sauce are light and sophisticated, you can cook dishes quickly, and the dinner will turn out to be very original and delicious.
Interesting facts about vinaigrette sauce
Traditionally, it is customary to cook the sauce in a glass bowl, as it turns out to be the tastiest.
In addition, it is believed that the order of adding ingredients should not be disturbed: first, spices and vinegar, then additional ingredients (except for fresh herbs and ground vegetables) and, finally, oil. The aforementioned fresh herbs and vegetables are added to the ready-made dressing.
The most popular additions to vinaigrette sauce: parsley, green onions, tarragon, dill, capers, onions, honey, citrus juice.
The mustard is added to the sauce to stabilize the emulsion - in other words, so that the oil and vinegar do not separate from each other. Also, sometimes hard-boiled and chopped yolk is used instead.
The finished sauce should be infused for at least half an hour, but an hour is better. The vinaigrette cannot be stored for a long time.
How to make vinaigrette sauce - watch the video:
Vinaigrette sauce is a healthy and tasty seasoning for various dishes. By introducing it into your daily diet, you can count on not only expanding your culinary horizons, but also a good health effect. However, in the use of sauce, one must observe the measure and take into account contraindications so that the potential benefits do not turn into real harm.
