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 ↓
Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dressing
In a saucepan, combine egg yolks, mustard, salt, melted butter, and vinegar.
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened.
Finish the dressing
Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the dressing.
If desired, add cream once the dressing has cooled.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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.
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Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Mustard + buttertop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,003 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Butter + vinegartop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,513 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
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Egg + mustardtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,210 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the dressing as they cook and give it a rich, creamy body.
- Melted butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smooth, silky mouthfeel.
- Vinegar
- Provides sharpness that balances the richness of the yolks and butter.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they lighten the dressing and add airy volume.
The step that matters
Cook over low heat while stirring constantly. Egg yolks thicken as their proteins set, but high heat or stopping to stir can scramble them into lumps. Gentle, constant stirring keeps the mixture smooth and evenly thickened.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, butter, vinegar):
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Shallotfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Chivefits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, butter, 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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