Why it works: Mustard and horseradish match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,832 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓
Tartar Mustard
Ingredients
Directions
Combine the mustard and cayenne in a cup.
Gradually mix in horseradish vinegar until smooth.
Use the back of a spoon to rub down any lumps.
Ensure the mixture is not too thin.
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.
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Mustard + horseradishtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,832 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Horseradish + vinegartop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,609 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mustard
- Provides the main pungent flavour and body of the sauce.
- Horseradish vinegar
- Adds acidity and sharp heat, and thins the mustard to a smooth consistency.
The step that matters
Rubbing down the lumps and checking thickness. Dry mustard powder clumps when liquid is added too quickly. Working the liquid in gradually and smoothing lumps lets the starches and particles hydrate evenly, giving a smooth texture. Thickness is then adjusted by adding more vinegar or mustard, because the sauce thickens as it stands.
“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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