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 the mashed hard-boiled egg yolk, sugar, salt, dry mustard, and black pepper.
Add the raw egg yolk and mix well with a wooden spoon.
Gradually add the oil, beating thoroughly after each addition.
Finally, stir in the 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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Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Mustard + peppertop 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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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + mustardtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,424 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Emulsify the oil and vinegar into a smooth, thick dressing.
- Oil
- Provides fat and richness, forming the body of the dressing.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity for a sharp, tangy flavour.
- Sugar
- Balances the acidity with a touch of sweetness.
- Dry mustard
- Helps stabilise the emulsion and adds a sharp, aromatic bite.
The step that matters
Adding the oil gradually. Oil added too fast cannot be absorbed by the egg yolk, so the emulsion breaks and the dressing separates. Adding it slowly, while beating after each addition, lets the yolk coat each droplet and keep the dressing thick and smooth.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, pepper, vinegar):
- Capsicumfits better
- Mustardthe original
- Cucumberfits less well
- Cabbagefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, pepper, vinegar. 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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