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 Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, combine mustard, salt, vinegar, milk, and eggs.
Beat the mixture until well combined.
Heat the mixture in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly 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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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Mustard + milktop 25% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,658 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Vinegar + milktop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,949 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
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Mustard + eggtop 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
- Eggs
- Their proteins set on gentle heating, thickening the dressing into a creamy body.
- Milk
- Provides the liquid base and adds richness and a creamy texture.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavor and balances the richness.
- Mustard
- Adds sharp flavor and helps keep the mixture smooth and blended.
The step that matters
Heating without boiling. Egg proteins thicken gently at low heat, but high heat or boiling can make them curdle or scramble, leaving the dressing grainy instead of smooth. Stirring constantly spreads the heat evenly.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, milk, egg):
- Capsicumfits better
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Asparagusfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, milk, egg. 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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