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 Mixture
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, whisk the raw egg and salt until smooth.
Gradually add the mustard and blend until fully incorporated.
Slowly add the salad oil, blending each addition with the egg mixture.
Continue until the mixture is as thick and smooth as honey.
Adjust the consistency with vinegar to achieve the thickness of thick cream.
If desired, stir in a little anchovy for added flavor.
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.
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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Egg + anchovytop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,330 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Mustard + anchovytop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together590 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Vinegar + anchovytop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,008 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Egg + mustardtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,210 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Raw egg
- Its proteins emulsify the oil and mustard into a thick, stable dressing.
- Mustard
- Its compounds help hold the oil and egg mixture together as an emulsion.
- Salad oil
- Supplies the fat that gives the dressing its body and richness.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavor and adjusts the final thickness.
The step that matters
Adding the oil slowly. Oil must be added gradually while blending so the egg emulsifies it. Adding it too fast can break the emulsion, leaving a thin, separated dressing that will not thicken.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, vinegar, anchovy):
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Shallotfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, vinegar, anchovy. 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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