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 ↓
Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Make the base
Mix vinegar, mustard, and salt in a bowl until well combined.
Add beaten egg yolks just before heating.
Boil the mixture while stirring rapidly until smooth and thick.
Finish the dressing
Once cooled, stir in salad oil and cream.
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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Egg + creamtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Vinegar + creamtop 25% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,064 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Mustard + creamtop 26% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,935 recipes
Shared aroma: octanal (fat, soap).
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Egg + mustardtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,210 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Egg and cream barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 42,166 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
- Thicken the dressing as their proteins set when heated, giving body and a creamy texture.
- Vinegar
- Adds sharp acidity that balances the richness of the yolks, oil, and cream.
- Prepared mustard
- Helps hold the oil and liquids together and adds a sharp, savory note.
- Salad oil
- Adds fat for smooth richness and a silky mouthfeel.
- Cream
- Adds richness and softens the sharpness of the vinegar.
The step that matters
Boil the mixture while stirring rapidly. Egg yolk proteins thicken as they heat, but if they overheat or heat unevenly they can curdle or scramble. Stirring rapidly spreads the heat evenly so the mixture turns smooth and thick.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, vinegar, cream):
- Horseradishfits about as well
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Spinachfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, vinegar, cream. 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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