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 ↓
Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dressing
Beat the eggs until light.
Mix sugar, vinegar, and mustard in a saucepan.
Boil the mixture together until thick.
Season with pepper and coarse sea salt to taste.
Finish and serve
When ready to use, fold in the whipped cream.
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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Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,430 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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 their proteins set with gentle heat, adding richness.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the sharpness of the vinegar.
- Vinegar
- Provides the acidity that gives the dressing its tang.
- Mustard
- Adds a sharp, savoury flavour that complements the vinegar and sugar.
- Whipped cream
- Adds fat and air, giving the dressing a light, creamy texture.
The step that matters
Boil the mixture until thick. Thickening depends on gentle, controlled heat. Egg proteins set as they warm, and if the mixture gets too hot or boils too long, the eggs can curdle and the dressing turns grainy instead of smooth.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, vinegar, pepper, cream):
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Horseradishfits about as well
- Spinachfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, vinegar, pepper, cream. 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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