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 ↓
Mayonnaise Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, mix the ground mustard, salt, sugar, and butter.
In a saucepan, heat the vinegar until boiling.
Combine the egg yolk with the mustard mixture.
Slowly stir the mustard mixture into the boiling vinegar.
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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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Mustard + sugartop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,424 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolk
- Its lecithin helps emulsify the fats and thicken the sauce into a smooth, creamy texture.
- Ground mustard
- Adds sharp flavor and its natural emulsifiers help keep the sauce from separating.
- Vinegar
- Provides the acidity that gives the sauce its tangy, bright flavor.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smoother mouthfeel.
- Sugar
- Adds a little sweetness to balance the sharpness of the vinegar and mustard.
The step that matters
Slowly stir the mustard mixture into the boiling vinegar. Adding the mixture gradually lets the heat spread evenly and keeps the egg yolk from scrambling or curdling. Pouring it in all at once can cause lumps and an uneven, grainy texture.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, butter, vinegar, egg):
- Mustardthe original
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Shallotfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, butter, vinegar, egg. 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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