Why it works: Cabbage and mustard match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,645 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Egg Salad
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, combine the chopped eggs and cabbage.
In a separate bowl, mix the melted butter, pepper, salt, and mustard.
Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.
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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Cabbage + mustardtop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,645 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Cabbage + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,081 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Pepper + mustardtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,430 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Provide the main body and protein of the salad, with chopped pieces giving a soft, creamy texture.
- Cabbage
- Adds crunch and a fresh, mild bite that contrasts with the soft eggs.
- Melted butter
- Carries the seasonings and coats the eggs and cabbage, adding richness and moisture.
- Prepared mustard
- Adds sharpness and a tangy flavor that balances the richness of the butter and eggs.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, cabbage, butter, pepper):
- Leekfits about as well
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Asparagusfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, cabbage, 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.
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