Why it works: Vinegar and olive are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,297 recipes. Both carry isoamyl acetate, which smells banana, fruity. The science ↓
French Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dressing
In a bowl, combine salt and pepper.
Gradually add olive oil while rubbing and mixing until salt dissolves.
Slowly add vinegar, stirring continuously for one minute.
Dress and serve
Pour the dressing over the salad, turn it upside down, mix well, and serve.
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.
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Vinegar + olivetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,297 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
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Olive + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,263 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Olive oil
- Forms the body of the dressing and carries the flavour of the other ingredients.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and balances the richness of the oil.
- Salt
- Seasons the dressing and, when rubbed into the mixture, helps it blend smoothly.
The step that matters
Adding the vinegar slowly while stirring. Oil and vinegar are immiscible, so adding the acid gradually while stirring breaks the oil into small droplets and keeps the dressing from separating quickly.
“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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