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Boiled Mayonnaise

A mayonnaise prepared by heating the mixture over steam until thickened.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 8 ingredients
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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 ↓

Boiled Mayonnaise

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the mixture

  1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

  2. Beat well and place the bowl over a kettle of steaming water.

  3. Stir until the mixture thickens.

Cool

  1. Remove from heat and let cool.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,067 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  2. Pepper + mustardtop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,430 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  3. Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together43,450 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

  4. Pepper + vinegartop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together27,814 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  5. Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,806 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

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 cream, and thicken as their proteins set with gentle heat.
Oil
Adds fat for richness and a smooth, body-rich texture.
Cream
Adds moisture and a softer, creamier mouthfeel.
Vinegar
Adds acidity for a sharp, bright flavor.
Dry mustard
Helps stabilize the emulsion and adds a sharp flavor.

The step that matters

Stir over steaming water until thickened. Egg yolk proteins set gently at moderate heat, thickening the sauce. If the water is too hot or the bowl sits too long, the yolks can overcook and curdle or scramble, so keep the heat gentle and stir constantly.

Swap the mustard

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, pepper, sugar, cream, vinegar):

  1. Capsicumfits about as well
  2. Mustardthe original
  3. Horseradishfits about as well
  4. Spinachfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against egg, pepper, sugar, cream, 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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