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 ↓
Lettuce Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dressing
Take the yolks of three hard-boiled eggs, and salt and mustard to taste.
Mash the yolks finely.
Make a paste by adding a dessert spoonful of olive oil or melted butter (use butter when fresh oil is difficult to obtain). Mix thoroughly.
Dilute by adding gradually a teacupful of vinegar.
Assemble the salad
Pour the dressing over the lettuce.
Garnish by slicing another egg and laying it over the lettuce.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| 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).
-
Egg + mustardtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,210 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
-
Egg + vinegartop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,922 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Egg and vinegar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,922 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
- Egg yolks
- Emulsify with the oil or butter, giving the dressing a smooth, rich body.
- Olive oil or melted butter
- Adds fat that coats the leaves and carries flavour into the dressing.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that sharpens the dressing and thins it to a pourable consistency.
- Mustard
- Helps hold the emulsion together and adds a sharp, savoury bite.
The step that matters
Adding the vinegar gradually. Vinegar added too quickly to the yolk and oil paste can break the emulsion, leaving a thin, separated dressing. Adding it slowly while mixing keeps the dressing smooth and creamy.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, vinegar):
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Shallotfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, vinegar. 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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