Why it works: Olive and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,297 recipes. Both carry isoamyl acetate, which smells banana, fruity. The science ↓
Mayonnaise Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Separate the yolk from the white of the eggs and remove the germ.
In a bowl, stir the yolk with a wooden spoon.
Gradually add the olive oil drop by drop while stirring continuously in one direction.
Add a little salt and pepper, then a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice.
Ensure the sauce is thick enough to hold a spoon upright and keep it cool on ice.
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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Olive + vinegartop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,297 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
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Olive + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,263 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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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 + olivetop 31% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,340 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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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
- Emulsifiers that bind the oil and water so the sauce stays smooth and thick.
- Olive oil
- Supplies the fat that, dispersed in tiny droplets, gives mayonnaise its body and richness.
- French vinegar or lemon juice
- Adds acidity that sharpens the flavour and helps balance the richness of the oil.
The step that matters
Adding the oil gradually. Oil must be added drop by drop while whisking constantly so it breaks into tiny droplets held by the yolk's lecithin. Adding it too fast can cause the emulsion to split and fail to thicken.
“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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