Why it works: Cabbage and mustard match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,645 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Cream Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Chop finely one-half head of cabbage.
Stir one-half cup cream and a little salt into the cabbage.
Make the dressing
Heat one-half cup vinegar, stirring into it the beaten yolks of two eggs, one teaspoon sugar, one-half teaspoon mustard.
Serve
Pour the mixture over the cabbage as it goes to the table.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Broccoli | 1 cup chopped (156g) | 55 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 3 |
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.
-
Cabbage + mustardtop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,645 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Cabbage + vinegartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,924 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cabbage
- Forms the bulk of the salad and provides a crisp, fresh texture.
- Cream
- Adds richness and softens the sharpness of the vinegar dressing.
- Vinegar
- Provides acidity that gives the dressing its tangy flavor.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the warm dressing through setting, giving it a smooth, creamy body.
- Sugar
- Balances the acidity of the vinegar with sweetness.
The step that matters
Heating the vinegar and egg yolk mixture. Egg yolks thicken when heated gently but can curdle or scramble if overheated. Stirring constantly keeps the dressing smooth and creamy.
Swap the cabbage
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream, vinegar, egg, sugar, mustard):
- Horseradishfits better
- Shallotfits better
- Cucumberfits better
- Cabbagethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against cream, vinegar, egg, sugar, mustard. 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.
More cream salad recipes
You might also like
Cabbage Dressing9 recipes
Chicken Salad623 recipes
Salad Dressing491 recipes
Tomato Salad179 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.