The Rubber Band Hack Prue Leith Swears By For The Perfect Vinaigrette

Known for her chunky, geometric jewelry and bold wardrobe palette, celebrity chef Prue Leith and the humble rubber band may seem an unlikely pairing. Yet Leith's most recent book, "Life's Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom," is all about celebrating simple tricks that make life easier for the home cook. This often involves using common resources like rubber bands in creative, unexpected ways. Take her vinaigrette hack, for example.

Whipping up a tasty vinaigrette is a breeze — just use a ratio of three parts oil to one part vinegar and your choice of flavorful additions (Leith recommends garlic for "a classic French vinaigrette"). Arguably, the most pesky part of the process is washing up the greasy measuring cup. This is where Leith's elastic trick saves the day.

Do you have a clean glass jam jar? Snap a rubber band around it an inch from the bottom and a second one 3 inches up from the first. Voila! A perfect 3 to 1 ratio.

When it's time to mix your dressing, add the vinegar directly to the jar until it reaches the first rubber band, followed by oil up to the second. Sprinkle in any extra ingredients, put the lid on, and shake, shake, shake! You've created the perfect vinaigrette and saved yourself a few extra dirty dishes.

If you eat salad on the regular, another handy thing about Leith's vinaigrette hack is that you can make a large enough quantity to last for several weeks. You're only limited by the size of your jar. Just remember to give it a vigorous shake before adding it to your salad, as the ingredients may separate in between uses. 

For a thicker or emulsified vinaigrette that requires more thorough blending (such as Ina Garten's favorite lemon vinaigrette), Leith recommends measuring out your ingredients in the jar as before, then adding them to a blender along with your other ingredients. Pour the blended mixture back into the jar, and it's salad-ready. 

Now, when it comes to the oil and vinegar, you have options. Extra virgin olive oil is a popular choice, but other neutral oils work as well. When considering vinegars, the choices are even more varied. Leith's sherry vinaigrette is a simple blend of three ingredients: extra-virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, and honey (via Daily Mail). But she tops her chicory, pear, hazelnut and goat's cheese salad with a mixture of red wine vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Different types of vinegar can often be used somewhat interchangeably (as evidenced by these rice vinegar substitutes), so this is a wonderful chance to do some experimenting and see which varieties elevate different dishes the best.