Why it works: Vinegar and mustard 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 Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, mix the yolks of 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon of vinegar, 1 teaspoon of mustard, and a good seasoning of salt and pepper, then whisk the mixture well.
Gradually add ½ cup of oil while continuously stirring.
If the mixture becomes too thick, add a few drops of vinegar or white stock to thin it out.
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 + mustardtop 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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Vinegar + peppertop 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
- Emulsify the oil and water into a thick, stable sauce that holds together.
- Oil
- Provides the fat that, dispersed in droplets, gives mayonnaise its rich body and texture.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that balances richness and helps keep the emulsion stable.
- Prepared mustard
- Helps stabilize the emulsion and adds a sharp, tangy flavour.
The step that matters
Adding the oil gradually while stirring. Egg yolks can only hold a limited amount of oil in emulsion. Adding oil too fast breaks the emulsion, so the mixture separates and becomes runny instead of thick and creamy.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, vinegar, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Mustardthe original
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Cabbagefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, vinegar, pepper. 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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