Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Beat the yolks of 6 eggs in a bowl.
Slowly add 6 tablespoons of melted butter or olive oil while beating continuously.
Dissolve 1 teaspoon of mustard in 6 tablespoons of vinegar and add to the mixture.
Stir in ¼ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of sugar, and a pinch of red pepper.
Add 6 tablespoons of milk or cream and mix well.
Cook in a double boiler until thick.
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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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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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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Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Vinegar + sugartop 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 fat and thicken the dressing as they cook, giving it body.
- Butter or olive oil
- Adds richness and fat that gives the dressing a smooth, creamy texture.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavour and balances the richness.
- Mustard
- Helps hold the fat and yolk mixture together as an emulsifier, adding sharpness.
- Milk or cream
- Adds moisture and softens the texture of the dressing.
The step that matters
Cook in a double boiler until thick. Egg yolks thicken from gentle heat but scramble if overheated. A double boiler keeps the temperature low and even, so the dressing thickens smoothly without curdling.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, butter, vinegar, sugar, pepper, milk):
- Capsicumfits better
- Potatofits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Asparagusfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, butter, vinegar, sugar, pepper, milk. 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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