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
Make the dressing
Crush the yolks of the eggs very fine in a bowl with the mustard and other dry ingredients.
Add the oil gradually until well mixed.
Stir in the vinegar, then add the cream.
Store
Store in a cool place in a well-corked container for up to a week.
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 + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + mustardtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,424 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 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
- Eggs
- Hard-boiled yolks, crushed fine, give the dressing body and a rich, smooth base.
- Oil
- Fat added slowly to the yolks, helping the dressing emulsify into a smooth, thick texture.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and balances the richness of the oil and cream.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and softness, loosening the dressing and mellowing its sharpness.
- Dry mustard
- Adds sharp flavour and helps hold the oil and yolks together as an emulsion.
The step that matters
Adding the oil gradually. Oil added slowly to the crushed yolks and mustard gives them time to bind into an emulsion. Adding it all at once can cause the dressing to separate and turn greasy.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, vinegar, cream):
- Mustardthe original
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Horseradishfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, 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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