Salad Dressing

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. Olive + mustardtop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together5,950 recipes

   Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

3. Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together15,430 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

4. Olive + vinegartop 10% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together12,297 recipes

   Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).

5. Olive + peppertop 11% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together30,263 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs

Thicken the dressing as they set during cooking, giving it a custard-like body.

Olive oil

Adds fat and richness, helping the dressing feel smooth on the palate.

Mustard

Adds sharp flavour and helps emulsify the oil into the dressing.

Milk

Adds creaminess and softens the sharpness of the vinegar.

Vinegar

Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and balances the richness.

The step that matters

Swap the mustard

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, sugar, milk, vinegar, egg, pepper):

1. Capsicumfits better
2. Mustardthe original
3. Tomatofits about as well
4. Cucumberfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, sugar, milk, vinegar, egg, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.