Why it works: Vinegar and mustard 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
Beat the egg yolks very thoroughly.
In a bowl, combine the beaten yolks, vinegar, mustard, sugar, and melted butter or salad oil.
Place the mixture in a vessel of hot water and simmer until thick and smooth.
Add coarse sea salt to taste.
Let the dressing cool and then bottle for use.
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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Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Mustard + sugartop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,424 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Emulsify and thicken the dressing as they cook, giving it a smooth, creamy body.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that gives the dressing its sharp, tangy flavor.
- Melted butter or salad oil
- Adds fat that makes the dressing rich and smooth in texture.
- Sugar
- Balances the acidity with a touch of sweetness.
- Mustard
- Adds sharp flavor and helps stabilize the emulsion.
The step that matters
Simmer until thick and smooth. Egg yolks thicken as their proteins gently set with heat. If the heat is too high, they can scramble, so the dressing should be cooked slowly in hot water and stirred until smooth.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, vinegar, sugar, butter):
- Mustardthe original
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Shallotfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, vinegar, sugar, butter. 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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