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 salad bowl, combine the mustard and sugar.
Add the salad oil drop by drop while stirring continuously.
Gradually mix in the milk and vinegar to prevent curdling.
Season with cayenne pepper and salt to taste.
The dressing should have a creamy appearance.
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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Vinegar + peppertop 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 + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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
- Made mustard
- Helps oil and liquid stay blended together as a stable emulsion.
- Salad oil
- Provides fat for richness and a smooth, silky mouthfeel.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and creaminess to the dressing.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity for sharp, bright flavour.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the sharpness of the vinegar.
The step that matters
Adding the oil drop by drop while stirring. Oil added too quickly cannot disperse into the mustard mixture, so the dressing may separate instead of forming a stable, creamy emulsion.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, milk, vinegar, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Mustardthe original
- Potatofits less well
- Cucumberfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, milk, vinegar, pepper. 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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