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French Dressing

A vinaigrette dressing made with vinegar, olive oil, pepper, salt, onion or chives, and optional Tabasco.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Olive and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,779 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

French Dressing

Ingredients

Directions

  1. In a bowl, combine vinegar, olive oil, pepper, salt, and chopped onion or chives.

  2. Whisk the mixture thoroughly until well combined.

  3. Add a few drops of Tabasco sauce if desired.

  4. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

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.

  1. Olive + oniontop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together29,779 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  2. Vinegar + olivetop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together12,297 recipes

    Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).

  3. Pepper + oniontop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together68,474 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Olive + peppertop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together30,263 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  5. Vinegar + oniontop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,226 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Olive oil
Forms the body of the dressing and carries flavor, giving it richness and a smooth mouthfeel.
Vinegar
Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and balances the richness of the oil.
Chopped onion or chives
Contributes sharp aromatic flavor that stays distinct in the dressing.

The step that matters

Whisk until well combined. Oil and vinegar are immiscible, so they separate on standing. Whisking breaks the oil into tiny droplets suspended in the vinegar, creating a temporarily emulsified dressing that holds together better when served.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, olive, pepper, sauce):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Tomatofits better
  3. Mustardfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, olive, pepper, sauce. 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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