Why it works: Pepper and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,814 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
French Mayonnaise
Ingredients
Directions
Make the emulsion
In a bowl, combine salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, egg yolk, and vinegar. Mix until creamy.
Slowly add salad oil drop by drop, stirring constantly until a thick paste forms.
Finish the mayonnaise
Continue to stir in vinegar and oil alternately until you reach the desired quantity.
Maintain a ratio of three parts oil to one part vinegar.
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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Pepper + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Egg + vinegartop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,922 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Pepper + eggtop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together50,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Egg and vinegar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,922 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolk
- Its lecithin emulsifies the oil and vinegar into a stable, thick sauce.
- Salad oil
- Forms the bulk of the sauce, giving it richness and body as it is dispersed into droplets.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that balances the richness of the oil and helps stabilise the emulsion.
The step that matters
Adding the oil slowly. Oil must be dispersed into fine droplets while the yolk is still forming its base. Adding it too fast overwhelms the emulsifier, and the mixture separates instead of thickening.
“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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