Why it works: Vinegar and mustard 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 ↓
Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dressing
If the vinegar is too strong, dilute it slightly.
In a saucepan, mix the vinegar, mustard, sugar, and beaten eggs.
Scald the mixture over low heat until it begins to thicken.
Finish the salad
Mix the thickened dressing thoroughly with the chopped chicken.
For a richer flavor, fold in 1 cup of whipped cream before serving.
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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Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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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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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Mustard + chickentop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,192 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, creamy).
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 their proteins set during gentle heating, giving body.
- Vinegar
- Supplies the sharp acidity that defines the dressing's tang.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the vinegar's sharpness.
- Mustard
- Adds sharp flavor and helps keep the dressing smooth.
- Melted butter
- Adds fat for richness and a softer mouthfeel.
- Whipped cream
- Adds fat and air for a lighter, richer finish.
The step that matters
Scald the mixture over low heat until it begins to thicken. Egg proteins set as they heat, and too much heat or time can curdle them into lumps. Low heat and stopping at the first thickening keep the dressing smooth and cohesive.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, sugar, butter, pepper, egg, cream, chicken):
- Capsicumfits better
- Mustardthe original
- Potatofits about as well
- Asparagusfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, sugar, butter, pepper, egg, cream, chicken. 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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