Why it works: Mustard and onion match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,259 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
French Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dressing
Mix salt, pepper, cayenne, and mustard in a bowl.
Add oil and mix again.
Gradually add vinegar or lemon juice, beating until an emulsion forms.
Serve
Pour over vegetables, toss with a spoon and fork, and serve.
For a chilled version, add a bit of ice to the bowl while mixing.
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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Mustard + oniontop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,259 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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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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Pepper + oniontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Vinegar + oniontop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,226 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Oil
- Forms the fat phase of the dressing and carries flavor and a smooth mouthfeel.
- Vinegar or lemon juice
- Provides acidity for sharp flavor and, with the oil, an emulsion when beaten in.
- Prepared mustard
- Acts as an emulsifier that helps oil and acid stay blended.
The step that matters
Gradually add vinegar or lemon juice, beating until an emulsion forms. Adding the acid slowly while beating breaks the oil into tiny droplets suspended in the liquid. Pouring it in too fast can leave the oil and acid separated, so the dressing looks greasy and thin.
Swap the mustard
The recipe marks mustard as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, vinegar, onion):
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Cabbagefits about as well
- Cucumberfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, vinegar, onion. 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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