Why it works: Vinegar and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 20,806 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Mayonnaise Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the yolks
Boil the eggs for 12 minutes, then cool them in cold water.
Sieve the yolks or pound them in a mortar until smooth.
Make the mayonnaise
Mix the yolks with water or cream, then add oil, sugar, salt, and mustard.
Gradually add the vinegar while mixing until well blended.
Serve
Garnish the salad with chopped egg whites.
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 + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + vinegartop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,922 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Egg and vinegar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,922 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
- Their lecithin emulsifies the oil and water into a stable, thick sauce.
- Salad oil
- Forms the fat phase that gives mayonnaise its rich body and texture.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that balances the richness and helps stabilise the emulsion.
- Water
- Adds moisture that helps the yolks and oil combine into a smooth emulsion.
The step that matters
Gradually add the vinegar while mixing until well blended.. Adding oil and acid too quickly can break the emulsion, so the sauce separates into a greasy, watery mixture instead of thickening.
“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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