Why it works: Mustard and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,067 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
In an earthen dish, combine mustard, sugar, salt, cayenne pepper, and egg yolks.
Set the mixture on ice and stir with a silver or wooden spoon until well mixed.
Gradually add the bottle of table oil while stirring until very light.
Stir in the vinegar, mixing in one direction.
Finally, fold in the whipped cream gently.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,430 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Pepper + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Emulsify the oil and vinegar so the dressing thickens and stays smooth.
- Table oil
- Provides fat that gives the dressing its rich body and mouthfeel.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that sharpens the flavour and balances the richness of the oil.
- Whipped cream
- Adds airy lightness and softness to the finished dressing.
- Mustard
- Contributes sharpness and helps stabilise the emulsion.
The step that matters
Adding the oil gradually while stirring. Oil added too quickly to the egg yolks can fail to emulsify and the dressing will split. Adding it slowly in a thin stream lets the yolk lecithin coat the oil droplets, keeping the mixture smooth and thick.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, pepper, egg, vinegar, cream):
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Horseradishfits about as well
- Spinachfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, pepper, egg, vinegar, cream. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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