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, mix together salt, sugar, and mustard.
Add the beaten eggs, vinegar, and milk, and stir until combined.
Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick.
Remove from heat and stir in the olive oil.
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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Vinegar + olivetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,297 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
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Milk + olivetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,828 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Thicken the dressing as they set when gently heated, giving it body.
- Vinegar
- Adds sharp acidity that balances the sweetness and richness.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and creaminess, softening the tang of the vinegar.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness to balance the acidity of the vinegar.
- Olive oil
- Adds fat and a smooth, rich mouthfeel to the finished dressing.
The step that matters
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Eggs can curdle or scramble if overheated. Low heat and constant stirring let the egg proteins thicken the mixture gently and evenly.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, vinegar, milk, olive):
- Capsicumfits better
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Tomatofits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, vinegar, milk, olive. 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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