Why it works: Vinegar and mustard 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, combine the egg yolks with salt, pepper, cayenne, and mustard.
Gradually add the salad oil while stirring continuously.
Mix in the cream and vinegar until well combined.
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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Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Pepper + mustardtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,430 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Cream + peppertop 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).
Cream and pepper 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 yolks
- Act as an emulsifier, helping the oil and liquids bind into a smooth, thick dressing.
- Salad oil
- Provides fat that gives the dressing body and a rich mouthfeel.
- Cream
- Adds richness and a smooth, creamy texture that softens the dressing.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavor and balances the richness of the fat.
The step that matters
Adding the salad oil. The oil must go in gradually while stirring, so it disperses into tiny droplets held by the egg yolk emulsifier. Adding it too fast can break the emulsion, leaving a separated, greasy dressing.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, egg, cream, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Spinachfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Horseradishfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, egg, cream, pepper. 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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