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Table Mustard

A mustard condiment made by boiling ground mustard with vinegar, sugar, salt, cloves, and cinnamon.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Keokuk (Iowa). Westminster Presbyterian church · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 7 ingredients
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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 ↓

Table Mustard

Ingredients

Directions

Make the mustard

  1. Mix the ingredients.

  2. Boil for five or ten minutes.

  3. If too thick, add more vinegar.

Rest

  1. Let stand a week before using.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

62Calories
0 gProtein
0 gFat
14 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Mustard1 tsp (5g) yellow3
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Salt1 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.

By Keokuk (Iowa). Westminster Presbyterian church. 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. 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.

  1. Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,067 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  2. Mustard + clovetop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,829 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).

  3. Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,806 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  4. Vinegar + clovetop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together10,386 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  5. Mustard + sugartop 19% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked 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

Ground mustard
Provides the main body and sharp, pungent flavor of the mustard.
Vinegar
Adds sharpness and acidity, and thins the mixture when it is too thick.
Sugar
Adds sweetness that balances the sharpness of the vinegar.
Cloves
Adds a warm, aromatic spice note.

The step that matters

Let stand a week before using.. Resting lets the sharp heat of the mustard mellow and lets the vinegar, sugar and spices blend together. Using it too soon gives a harsher, less rounded flavor.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mustard, vinegar, sugar):

  1. Tarragonfits better
  2. Capersfits better
  3. Allspicefits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against mustard, vinegar, sugar. 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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