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 Dressings
Ingredients
Directions
Pound the yolks of three hard-boiled eggs until smooth.
Add 2 teaspoons of made mustard, salt, and cayenne to taste.
Gradually mix in 1 tablespoon of vinegar until smooth.
Slowly add 3 tablespoons of salad oil, mixing well.
Finally, stir in 1 raw egg yolk until combined.
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.
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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Egg + mustardtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,210 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (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
- Hard-boiled egg yolks
- Form a smooth, thick base that carries the other ingredients.
- Made mustard
- Adds sharp flavor and helps the dressing hold together as an emulsion.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavor and balances the rich oil.
- Salad oil
- Provides fat and body, giving the dressing its creamy texture.
- Raw egg yolk
- Acts as an emulsifier, helping the oil and vinegar stay blended.
The step that matters
Slowly add the salad oil. Adding oil too fast can break the emulsion, so the dressing separates or turns oily instead of creamy. Adding it slowly while mixing lets the egg yolk and mustard coat the oil droplets and keep them suspended.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, vinegar):
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Shallotfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, 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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