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 ↓
Mayonnaise
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the base
Beat the egg yolks in a bowl and strain them.
Gradually mix in salt, pepper, mustard, oil, and vinegar.
Finish and chill
Add equal parts of cream and calves' foot jelly if using 4 tablespoons of oil.
Chill on ice until ready to serve.
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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White pepper + vinegartop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,154 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Egg + white peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,312 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyraldehyde (malty, chocolate).
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Egg + creamtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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White pepper + creamtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,439 recipes
Egg and cream barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 42,166 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Their lecithin emulsifies the oil into the liquid, holding the sauce together and giving it body.
- Salad oil
- Supplies the fat that, dispersed in droplets, makes the sauce thick and rich.
- Mustard
- Its natural emulsifiers help keep the oil and liquid from separating.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that sharpens flavour and helps stabilise the emulsion.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and richness, softening the sauce's texture.
- Calves' foot jelly
- Its gelatin adds body and helps the sauce set when chilled.
The step that matters
Gradually mix in the oil. Oil must be added slowly so it breaks into tiny droplets that the egg yolk lecithin can surround. Adding it too fast overwhelms the yolk, and the sauce separates and fails to thicken.
Swap the white pepper
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, mustard, vinegar, cream):
- Tarragonfits better
- Capersfits better
- Dillfits better
- White pepperthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, mustard, vinegar, 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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