Why it works: Vinegar and mustard 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 ↓
Dandelion Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the dandelions
Remove all dead leaves and roots from the dandelions, and wash thoroughly.
Take a small handful at a time, shake free from water, and cut up fine into a mixing bowl.
When all is used, having enough to make about two quarts when tossed lightly into the bowl, sprinkle over one teaspoonful of salt, one of sugar, and a pinch of mustard.
Make the dressing
Fry bacon cut into bits, as much as will fill a small teacup, to a light brown. Remove the bacon.
Into the hot grease, mince a small onion, if onion flavor is not objectionable, and fry lightly. Add one-half cup mild vinegar to the hot grease.
Pour over the dandelions and mix well. Garnish with hard-boiled eggs sliced, and serve at once.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 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.
-
Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Dandelions (in the method)
- Form the leafy base of the salad, providing a bitter, fresh green flavor.
- Bacon (in the method)
- Its rendered fat carries flavor into the dressing and adds savory, browned richness.
- Vinegar
- Adds sharp acidity that balances the bitterness of the greens and the richness of the fat.
- Hard-boiled eggs (in the method)
- Add mild, creamy richness as a garnish that complements the sharp dressing.
The step that matters
Frying the bacon to light brown before adding vinegar. Browning the bacon builds flavor in the fat, and the vinegar should be added to the hot grease so it sizzles and blends into the dressing rather than cooling the pan.
“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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