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 — 1
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dressing
Beat the eggs in a bowl.
Add salt, pepper, mustard, melted butter, cream, and vinegar.
Place the mixture in a double boiler and cook until smooth and thick, stirring to prevent burning.
Serve
Serve with cabbage or potato salad.
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 + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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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 + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set and thicken the dressing as they cook, giving it body.
- Butter
- Adds richness and smooth mouthfeel to the dressing.
- Vinegar
- Provides acidity that gives the dressing its tang.
- Mustard
- Adds sharp flavour and helps emulsify the dressing.
The step that matters
Cook the mixture in a double boiler. Egg proteins set gently around 160°F, so gentle indirect heat and constant stirring keep the dressing smooth. Direct high heat can scramble the eggs and make the dressing grainy or curdled.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, pepper, vinegar, cream, butter):
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Potatofits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Spinachfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, pepper, vinegar, cream, butter. 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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