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 ↓
Mayonnaise Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sauce
Melt three tablespoons butter.
Whisk in two and one-half tablespoons flour.
Add one teaspoon mustard, one teaspoon salt, one coffee cup vinegar, and two eggs, all well beaten.
Let vinegar come to a boil; slowly pour the other ingredients into it, stirring until it boils.
Finish
When ready to use, add enough whipped cream to make it pour.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| 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).
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + mustardtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,066 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, and carries flavor through the sauce.
- Flour
- Thickens the sauce as its starch swells and sets with heat.
- Eggs
- Their proteins set when heated, thickening the sauce and helping it hold together.
- Vinegar
- Provides acidity and tang that balance the richness of butter and eggs.
- Whipped cream (in the method)
- Adds richness and lightens the sauce so it pours.
The step that matters
Pouring the egg mixture into the boiling vinegar. Egg proteins set quickly at high heat, so adding the mixture slowly while stirring keeps it smooth and prevents it from curdling into lumps.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, flour, vinegar, egg):
- Shallotfits better
- Chivefits about as well
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, flour, vinegar, egg. 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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