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, mash the hard-boiled yolks with the back of a spoon.
Add the raw yolk and salt, then mix well.
Gradually add the salad oil while mixing continuously.
Stir in the vinegar and add a little cream to finish.
Adjust seasoning to taste.
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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Egg + creamtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Vinegar + creamtop 25% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,064 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Mustard + creamtop 26% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,935 recipes
Shared aroma: octanal (fat, soap).
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Egg + mustardtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,210 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Egg and cream barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 42,166 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
- Hard-boiled egg yolks
- Mashed to a smooth base that gives the dressing body and richness.
- Raw egg yolk
- Emulsifies the oil into the mixture, holding it together as a creamy dressing.
- Salad oil
- Adds fat and smoothness, carrying flavour and giving a rich mouthfeel.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that sharpens the flavour and balances the richness of the oil.
- Prepared mustard
- Contributes sharpness and helps stabilise the emulsion.
The step that matters
Gradually add the salad oil while mixing continuously. Adding oil too fast before the yolks have absorbed it can break the emulsion, leaving the dressing oily and separated. Slow, continuous mixing lets the egg yolk lecithin surround tiny oil droplets so they stay suspended.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, vinegar, cream):
- Horseradishfits about as well
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Spinachfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, vinegar, cream. 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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