I used to have six bottles of salad dressing in my fridge. Six. Most of them half-empty, some six months old, a couple with labels I could not read anymore because the oil had separated and stained the paper. Every time I opened the fridge they would tip over. One morning I counted and realized I had spent something like forty dollars on dressing I did not even like.

The stuff that tastes good costs seven or eight dollars a bottle now. The cheap stuff tastes like sweetened vinegar with thickeners. None of it tastes as good as what you can make in two minutes.

Why Homemade Wins

A vinaigrette is three things: oil, acid, and something to hold them together. That is it. The ratio is 3 parts oil to 1 part acid. Everything else is personality.

Store-bought dressings add stabilizers, preservatives, sugar, and “natural flavors” because oil and vinegar separate on the shelf. Your homemade version will separate too. You shake it for three seconds. Problem solved.

The Base Formula

Pour three tablespoons of olive oil into a small jar. Add one tablespoon of acid — lemon juice, red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, balsamic. Add a pinch of salt, a grind of pepper, and a tiny squeeze of Dijon mustard. The mustard is not for flavor. It is the emulsifier. It grabs the oil and acid and makes them hold hands.

Screw the lid on. Shake for ten seconds. You have vinaigrette.

Five Variations You Can Make Right Now

1. Honey Mustard: Add a teaspoon of honey and an extra half-teaspoon of Dijon. Good on bitter greens.
2. Garlic Lemon: Grate half a clove of garlic into the jar before shaking. Let it sit five minutes before serving so the garlic mellows.
3. Maple Balsamic: Use balsamic vinegar and a teaspoon of real maple syrup. This one is dangerous — I put it on everything for a week straight.
4. Herb Garden: Chop whatever fresh herbs you have — basil, parsley, chives, dill — and toss them in. Dried herbs work too, just use less.
5. Parmesan Peppercorn: A tablespoon of grated parmesan and extra black pepper. Shake well. It tastes like the kind of dressing that costs twelve dollars at a restaurant.

Things I Messed Up So You Do Not Have To

I once tried making dressing with straight lemon juice and no mustard. It tasted like lemon juice on lettuce. Which is what it was.

I also learned that extra virgin olive oil can be too aggressive for some dressings. If it tastes bitter, switch to regular olive oil or even avocado oil. The lighter the oil, the more the acid and seasonings come through.

And do not skip the salt. Salt is what makes dressing taste like dressing and not like oil and vinegar.

Storage

Keep the jar in the fridge. It lasts about a week. If the oil solidifies in the cold — olive oil does that — just take it out ten minutes before dinner or run warm water over the jar. Shake and serve.

I now keep exactly one jar of dressing in my fridge. When it is empty I make another. I have not bought a bottle of dressing in two years. I have also not had a bottle tip over in my fridge in two years. Both of those things feel good.