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, mix together the mustard, salt, pepper, sugar, and egg yolks.
Gradually add the milk while stirring until the mixture thickens.
Stir in the 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.
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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Pepper + vinegartop 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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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Emulsify the milk and oil-free base, thickening the dressing into a creamy texture.
- Milk
- Adds liquid to loosen the base and creates a smooth, pourable body.
- Vinegar
- Adds sharp acidity that balances the sweetness and richness of the dressing.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that rounds out the sharpness of the vinegar and mustard.
The step that matters
Gradually add the milk while stirring. Adding milk slowly while stirring lets the egg yolk proteins thicken the mixture evenly. Pouring it in all at once can leave the dressing thin or lumpy.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, sugar, egg, milk, vinegar):
- Capsicumfits better
- Mustardthe original
- Asparagusfits about as well
- Cucumberfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, sugar, egg, milk, 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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