Why it works: Vinegar and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,814 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Mayonnaise Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the mayonnaise
In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth.
Slowly add the salad oil drop by drop while whisking continuously.
Add the vinegar or lemon juice in the same manner.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Adjust and finish
If the mayonnaise is too thick, add a little cold water to reach the desired consistency.
For green mayonnaise, mix in finely minced herbs like chervil, cress, or parsley.
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 + peppertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Egg + vinegartop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,922 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Egg + peppertop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together50,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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
- Emulsifiers that hold the oil and water-based liquid together as a smooth sauce.
- Salad oil
- Forms the body and richness of the sauce as tiny droplets suspended in the yolks.
- Vinegar or lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens flavor and helps keep the emulsion stable.
The step that matters
Adding the oil slowly. Oil must be added drop by drop while whisking so it breaks into fine droplets that the yolk lecithin can surround. Adding it too fast causes the emulsion to break and the sauce to separate.
“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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