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
makes enough dressing for four quarts of saladIngredients
Directions
In an earthen dish, combine mustard, sugar, salt, cayenne pepper, and egg yolks.
Set the mixture on ice and stir with a wooden or silver spoon until well mixed.
Gradually add the bottle of table oil while stirring until very light.
Stir in the vinegar, ensuring to stir evenly and in one direction.
This recipe makes enough dressing for four quarts of salad.
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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Mustard + peppertop 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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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Mustard + sugartop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,424 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Emulsify the oil and vinegar so the dressing stays smooth and thick.
- Table oil
- Provides the fat that gives the dressing its rich body and light texture.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that sharpens flavor and balances the richness of the oil.
- Mustard
- Helps hold the oil and vinegar together and adds sharp flavor.
The step that matters
Adding the oil. Oil must be added gradually while stirring so the egg yolks can disperse it into tiny droplets. Adding it too fast breaks the emulsion, leaving the dressing oily and separated instead of light and creamy.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, pepper, egg, vinegar):
- Capsicumfits better
- Mustardthe original
- Cucumberfits less well
- Cabbagefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, pepper, 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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