Jaclyn Pestka, Wayne Gisslen, Lou Sackett

Creating Smaller Droplets

Appears in
Professional Garde Manger: A Comprehensive Guide to Cold Food Preparation
Professional Garde Manger

By Jaclyn Pestka, Wayne Gisslen and Lou Sackett

Published 2010

  • About
In a vinaigrette, the smaller the droplets of vinegar, the longer it takes for them to recombine and separate. So, making smaller droplets increases the stability of the emulsion.
Two conditions are necessary to form smaller droplets:
  1. More energy is needed during mixing. During mixing, the chef must use enough energy to break the surface tension to make smaller and smaller droplets (see sidebar). An electric mixer, a blender, or a large industrial homogenizer exert more energy than a handheld whip.
  2. Ingredients must be at the proper temperature. It is harder to break up droplets at cold temperatures. At warm temperatures, the droplets move around in the mixture more rapidly, making it more likely that they will hit each other and recombine. The best temperature is 60–80°F (16–27°C), or roughly room temperature.