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
In a saucepan, combine vinegar and water if needed.
Add beaten eggs, butter, mustard, salt, pepper, cornstarch, and sugar.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened.
If lumpy, strain the mixture before serving.
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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Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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 they set when heated, giving it body and a creamy texture.
- Vinegar
- Provides the sharp acidity that defines the dressing's flavor.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smoother, rounder mouthfeel.
- Sugar
- Balances the sharpness of the vinegar with sweetness.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the liquid by gelatinizing with heat, adding body and stability.
The step that matters
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Egg proteins set when heated, so if the mixture gets too hot or is left unstirred, the eggs can curdle and turn lumpy. Constant stirring keeps the heat even and the texture smooth.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, egg, butter, pepper, sugar):
- Capsicumfits better
- Mustardthe original
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Shallotfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, egg, butter, pepper, sugar. 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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