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
Ingredients
Directions
Make the mayonnaise
In a small round basin, combine egg yolks, salt, pepper, mustard, and vinegar.
Stir to mix well.
While stirring steadily, add fine oil drop by drop until the mixture thickens.
Taste and add more vinegar drop by drop if needed, stirring continuously to ensure it emulsifies.
Adjust for quantity and season
For a small quantity, use 1 yolk in winter; use 2 yolks in summer.
For thicker sauce, use duck eggs and place the basin on ice in summer.
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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Pepper + mustardtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,430 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Pepper + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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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
- Egg yolks
- Their lecithin emulsifies the oil into the vinegar, creating a thick, stable sauce.
- Fine oil
- Forms the bulk of the sauce, giving it richness and body as it is emulsified into the yolks.
- French vinegar
- Adds acidity that balances the richness of the oil and helps keep the sauce bright.
The step that matters
Adding the oil drop by drop. Oil added too quickly cannot be absorbed by the yolks, so the emulsion breaks and the sauce stays thin or separates. Steady, slow addition lets the yolk lecithin coat each droplet and build a thick emulsion.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, pepper, vinegar):
- Capsicumfits better
- Mustardthe original
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Cabbagefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, pepper, 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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