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
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, mix the egg yolks, mustard, sugar, olive oil, salt, and flour until well combined.
Pour the mixture into a teacup of boiling vinegar.
Stir continuously until the dressing thickens.
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 + olivetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,950 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Olive + vinegartop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,297 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
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Mustard + flourtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,066 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the dressing as they set and add richness.
- Flour
- Stabilises the mixture and helps it thicken without curdling.
- White vinegar
- Provides acidity and sharpness while helping the dressing set.
- Olive oil
- Adds fat for smoothness and a rounder mouthfeel.
- White sugar
- Balances the sharpness of the vinegar with sweetness.
The step that matters
Stir continuously until the dressing thickens. Egg yolk proteins set with heat, so constant stirring spreads the heat evenly and prevents lumps or curdling. Stopping too early leaves the dressing thin, and letting it sit can cause scrambled bits.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, olive, flour, vinegar):
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Shallotfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, olive, flour, 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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