# Homemade vinaigrette

> Dissolve the salt in the vinegar before adding the oil. Salt does not dissolve in oil, and that is how you end up with a bland vinaigrette and crunchy grains of salt.

## The essentials

A vinaigrette is one part vinegar to three parts oil, salt, and a quick whisk. A spoon of mustard makes it creamy and keeps it from separating. It takes two minutes, it costs a few cents, and it keeps a week in the fridge.

## The one thing to know

Dissolve the salt in the vinegar before adding the oil. Salt does not dissolve in oil, and that is how you end up with a bland vinaigrette and crunchy grains of salt.

## The method

1. In a bowl, put a tablespoon of vinegar, a pinch of salt and a little pepper. Mix until the salt disappears.
2. Add a teaspoon of mustard and mix.
3. Pour in three tablespoons of oil little by little, whisking with a fork. It thickens and becomes smooth.
4. Taste on a salad leaf, not on the spoon. Too sharp, add a little oil; too flat, a drop of vinegar.

## The quantities

For a salad for four: one tablespoon of vinegar, three tablespoons of oil, one teaspoon of mustard, salt and pepper. For the week, multiply everything by four in a jar, and shake before serving.

## How long it takes

Two minutes.

## If it goes wrong

It separated: a spoon of mustard and a quick whisk. Too sharp: a pinch of sugar or a spoon of oil. Too oily: a few drops of vinegar or lemon. In the fridge, olive oil sets a little, that is normal, take the jar out ten minutes before.

## Make it tonight

Potato salad, or tomato salad, in ten minutes.

## The linked base recipe: Homemade vinaigrette (serves 4)

- 1 tablespoon wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt, pepper

_See first : [How to salt a dish: when and how much](https://disheazy.com/bases/how-to-salt-a-dish)_

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Source : disheazy, https://disheazy.com/bases/homemade-vinaigrette
