How to keep shallots from overpowering vinegarettes Most recipes call for minced shallot in a basic vinegarette.  However, whenever I use it, the taste of shallot overpowers everything else in the dressing, leaving an aftertaste that usually lasts through to the next day.

I've tried reducing the amount of shallot, but no matter how little of it I add, it always takes over.  The problem is, I like the taste of shallots, and I think they taste great with greens.  I just want to eat a salad that tastes of things besides shallot.

So, is there a way to keep the taste of shallots in my dressing without it being the main course?
I always rinsed onions and shallots, to remove the compounds released when slicing through the cell walls. Since reading the following article in Cook's Illustrated March 2011 edition, I prefer its baking soda method.


  Toning Down Raw Onion’s Bite
  
  We’ve often heard the claim that soaking sliced or chopped raw onions in liquid can mellow their harsh taste by drawing out the pungent sulfur compounds known as thiosulfinates that are produced when the onion is cut. 
  
  But what kind of liquid and how long of a soak? We tested three of the most commonly recommended liquids—water, milk, and vinegar—by soaking the cut onions in each for 5 and 15 minutes. We found that 15 minutes was necessary for any of the treatments to be effective. 
  
  The vinegar soak did rid the onions of much of their burn, but it was replaced by an equally strong sour taste, even after thorough rinsing. Milk was also very effective at removing the sulfur compounds, but it left the onions tasting washed-out. 
  
  The best method—better than even plain water—was our own: a baking-soda solution (1 tablespoon per cup of water). Unlike the other methods, which merely do their best to leach away the offending sulfur compounds, the alkaline baking soda neutralizes sulfenic acid, the immediate precursor to the harsh-tasting thiosulfinates, and prevents them from forming in the first place. 
  
  Just be sure to rinse the onions thoroughly before using to remove any soapy baking-soda taste.