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 ↓
My Favorite Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Make the base
Combine one teaspoon mustard, one-half teaspoon salt, one teaspoon sugar, and one teaspoon flour.
Stir smooth with a little milk.
Beat two eggs into this.
Cook the dressing
Add two tablespoons oil, five tablespoons milk, and six tablespoons vinegar, stirring all thoroughly together.
Heat in a double boiler until it is like cream.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 3 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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. See the original page.
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.
-
Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Mustard + flourtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,066 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Thicken as they heat and give the dressing body and richness.
- Flour
- Thickens the liquid and keeps the dressing smooth and stable.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that gives the dressing its sharp, tangy flavour.
- Mustard
- Adds sharp, pungent flavour that balances the richness of the eggs and oil.
- Oil
- Adds fat for a smoother, richer mouthfeel.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness to balance the sharpness of the vinegar and mustard.
The step that matters
Heating in the double boiler. Egg proteins set and can curdle or scramble if the mixture gets too hot. Gentle, indirect heat with constant stirring lets the eggs and flour thicken it smoothly.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, flour, vinegar, egg, milk):
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Arrowrootfits about as well
- Shallotfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, flour, vinegar, egg, 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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