If you’re like me, who knows how long that balsamic vinaigrette has been sitting in your refrigerator. And why sit around guessing when you can just make your own salad dressing with three simple ingredients: An oil, an acid, and something else.

Sure, the salad-savvy out there are probably scoffing right about now, but there are those among us who maybe never realized how easy the salad dressing life could be, as LifeHacker breaks it down, via CookSmart.com.

INGREDIENTS (and yes, there are more than three options, but you can combine whichever you want):
1. Oil: Olive oil, grape seed oil, sesame oil, nut oils, avocado oil
2. Acid: Vinegars (sherry, red wine, balsamic, rice) or lemon juice
3. Other Stuff: Mustard, jam/preserves, herbs (parsley, basil, etc.), garlic, shallots, ginger, soy sauce, tahini

MIX IT UP
Your recipe equation is as follows: Roughly 60% oils, 30% acids, 10% other flavors. Eyeball these amounts or measure them out as you like, season with salt and pepper and your preferred sweetener to balance out the acids (sugar, honey, agave, etc) and toss them all in a sealed container or jar. Shake the heck out of it before pouring over your salad or onto a sandwich.

If you want to see it in prettier teams via an infographic that also includes some recipes, you can do that here.

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