Why it works: Pepper and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,814 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
French Mayonnaise
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, combine salt, black pepper, vinegar or lemon juice, and cayenne pepper.
Add the egg yolk and mix until creamy.
Slowly add salad oil drop by drop until a thick paste forms.
Then, add more vinegar or lemon juice drop by drop.
Use immediately.
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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Pepper + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Vinegar + eggtop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,922 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Pepper + eggtop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together50,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Vinegar and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,922 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 yolk
- Emulsifies the oil into water-based liquid, holding the sauce together as a creamy suspension.
- Salad oil
- Forms the bulk of the sauce, giving it richness and a thick, smooth body once emulsified.
- Vinegar or lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens flavor and helps keep the emulsion stable.
The step that matters
Slowly add the salad oil drop by drop. Oil added too fast cannot be absorbed by the egg yolk, so the emulsion breaks and the sauce turns thin and oily. Adding it gradually lets tiny oil droplets get coated and dispersed evenly, producing a thick, stable mayonnaise.
“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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