Why it works: Vinegar and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 18,226 recipes. Both carry acetic acid, which smells sour, vinegar. The science ↓
French Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
In a deep plate or saucer, combine vinegar, salt, and grated onion if desired.
Gradually stir in the oil until well mixed.
Pour the dressing over your salad and tomatoes.
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.
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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Vinegar + oniontop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,226 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Vinegar
- Provides the sharp acidity that gives the dressing its tang.
- Oil
- Adds fat and body, carrying flavor and coating the salad leaves.
- Grated onion
- Adds a sharp aroma and pungent flavor to the dressing.
The step that matters
Gradually stir in the oil. Oil and vinegar are immiscible, so adding the oil slowly while stirring breaks it into small droplets. This creates a temporary emulsion that holds together far better than dumping the oil in all at once.
“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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