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 base
In a bowl, mix the egg yolks, sugar, salt, pepper, and mustard well.
Heat the vinegar and butter in a saucepan until boiling.
Beat the egg whites to a stiff froth.
Mix the beaten egg whites with the other ingredients.
Gradually add the boiling vinegar mixture, a few drops at a time, while stirring.
Cook and cool
Set the mixture on the fire for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove the mixture from heat.
Beat the mixture for a few minutes.
Let the mixture cool.
Serve
When ready to use, mix with thick sweet 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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Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Pepper + mustardtop 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).
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 and bind it into a smooth, creamy emulsion.
- Egg whites
- Beaten to a stiff froth, they add lightness and air to the dressing.
- Vinegar
- Provides the sharp acidity that balances the richness of the eggs and cream.
- Mustard
- Adds sharpness and helps stabilise the emulsion.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness to balance the vinegar's acidity.
- Thick sweet cream
- Adds richness and a silky texture when mixed in at serving.
The step that matters
Adding the boiling vinegar mixture. Adding the hot vinegar too quickly can scramble the egg yolks. Adding it a few drops at a time while stirring gently warms the eggs so they thicken smoothly.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, pepper, vinegar, butter, cream):
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Asparagusfits about as well
- Potatofits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, pepper, vinegar, butter, 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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