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
Beat the egg yolks until light.
Add salt, sugar, dry mustard, olive oil or melted butter, and pepper.
Slowly add hot vinegar while beating continuously until thick and light.
If desired, return to low heat and stir until it thickens, but do not let it boil.
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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Mustard + olivetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,950 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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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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Olive + vinegartop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,297 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
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Olive + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,263 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Emulsify the oil and vinegar and thicken the sauce into a smooth, stable body.
- Olive oil or melted butter
- Supplies the fat that gives the sauce its rich, creamy texture.
- Hot vinegar
- Adds acidity for sharpness and helps the yolks set into a thick, light mixture.
- Dry mustard
- Contains natural emulsifiers that help hold the fat and liquid together.
The step that matters
Adding the hot vinegar. Pour it slowly while beating constantly. Adding liquid too fast breaks the emulsion, so the sauce stays thin or separates. Heat from the vinegar gently thickens the egg yolks, and letting the mixture boil can curdle the yolks.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, olive, pepper, vinegar):
- Capsicumfits better
- Mustardthe original
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Tomatofits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, olive, pepper, vinegar. 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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