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
Combine the egg yolks, mustard, salt, cayenne pepper, and sugar in a bowl.
Whisk in the cream or milk and hot vinegar until smooth.
Gently fold in the beaten egg whites until well combined.
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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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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Pepper + vinegartop 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
- Egg yolks
- Emulsify and thicken the dressing as they set with heat, giving body and richness.
- Egg whites
- Beaten stiff, they add airy lightness and volume to the finished dressing.
- Cream or milk
- Adds moisture and richness, softening the sharpness of the vinegar.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that sharpens the flavour and balances the sweetness and richness.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the acidity of the vinegar.
The step that matters
Gently fold in the beaten egg whites. Egg whites hold air only when beaten stiff. Vigorous stirring deflates them, so the dressing loses its lightness. Fold gently, just until combined.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, pepper, sugar, cream, vinegar):
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Horseradishfits about as well
- Spinachfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, pepper, sugar, cream, 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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