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, combine the sifted yolks of the hard boiled eggs and the raw egg yolk.
Add the mustard and mix well.
Gradually whisk in the sweet oil until fully incorporated.
Stir in the lemon juice or vinegar, salt, and white wine.
Mix thoroughly and refrigerate until ready to use.
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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Lemon + white winetop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,832 recipes
Shared aroma: myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous).
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Mustard + lemontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,816 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Vinegar + white winetop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,776 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + lemontop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
Egg and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 44,316 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 yolks
- Emulsify the oil into the dressing, giving it a thick, creamy body.
- Sweet oil
- Forms the bulk of the dressing and provides richness and a smooth mouthfeel.
- Mustard
- Helps hold the oil and water-based ingredients together in a stable emulsion.
- White wine
- Adds acidity and a light, fruity flavour to balance the richness of the oil.
The step that matters
Gradually whisk in the sweet oil. Adding oil slowly while whisking lets the yolks break it into tiny droplets. Pouring too fast can make the dressing separate or stay runny.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, lemon, vinegar, white wine):
- Shallotfits better
- Cucumberfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, lemon, vinegar, white wine. 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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