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 ↓
Cabbage Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
In a saucepan, combine cream, vinegar, sugar, butter, salt, mustard, and cornstarch.
Heat the mixture over medium heat until it boils, stirring constantly.
Once boiling, pour the dressing over chopped cabbage and stir to combine.
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.
-
Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,430 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Vinegar + peppertop 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
- Cream
- Provides richness and body, giving the dressing a smooth, creamy texture.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that gives the dressing its sharp, tangy flavour.
- Sugar
- Balances the sharpness of the vinegar with mild sweetness.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the dressing as it heats, so it clings to the cabbage.
The step that matters
Heat until it boils, stirring constantly. Cornstarch only thickens fully once the mixture reaches a boil. Stirring keeps the starch dispersed and prevents lumps and scorching on the bottom of the pan, which would leave the dressing grainy or uneven.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream, vinegar, sugar, butter, pepper):
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Potatofits about as well
- Onionfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against cream, vinegar, sugar, butter, pepper. 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.
You might also like
Chicken Salad623 recipes
Salad Dressing491 recipes
Tomato Salad179 recipes
Cold Slaw160 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.