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 ↓
Madb Mustard
Ingredients
Directions
Pour a little boiling water over the mustard.
Gradually stir in the sugar, oil, salt, and beaten egg yolk.
Add vinegar to taste.
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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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Mustard + sugartop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,424 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Mustard + eggtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,210 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mustard
- Provides the main flavour and pungency of the sauce.
- Beaten egg yolk
- Emulsifies the oil into the mixture, helping it thicken smoothly.
- Oil
- Adds richness and helps form a smooth, emulsified texture.
- Sugar
- Balances the sharpness of the mustard with a touch of sweetness.
The step that matters
Gradually stir in the sugar, oil, salt, and beaten egg yolk.. Adding the oil and egg yolk slowly lets them emulsify into the mustard instead of separating. Adding them all at once can make the mixture break and turn greasy.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, vinegar):
- Mustardthe original
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Shallotfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, 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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