Why it works: Pepper and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,814 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Mayonnaise Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Break the yolk of a fresh egg into a bowl.
Season with pepper and salt, then beat until thick.
Add salad oil drop by drop while continuing to beat.
Add vinegar in the same manner, mixing thoroughly.
Finally, stir in the cream well.
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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Pepper + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Pepper + creamtop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together21,449 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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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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Egg + vinegartop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,922 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Pepper and cream barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 21,449 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 yolk
- Emulsifies the oil and vinegar so they stay blended as a thick, smooth sauce.
- Salad oil
- Provides the fat that, dispersed into the yolk, gives mayonnaise its body and richness.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that sharpens flavor and helps keep the emulsion stable.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and softness, mellowing the sauce's texture at the end.
The step that matters
Adding the salad oil drop by drop. Oil added too quickly cannot be absorbed by the yolk, so the emulsion breaks and the mayonnaise separates into a greasy, runny mixture. Slow addition while beating lets tiny oil droplets be surrounded by yolk proteins and stay suspended.
“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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