Why it works: Mustard and onion match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,259 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
French Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, combine salt, vinegar or lemon juice, and paprika.
Slowly add the oil while stirring continuously.
If desired, mix in mustard and onion juice for added flavor.
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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Mustard + oniontop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,259 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Vinegar + oniontop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,226 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Oil
- Supplies the fat that gives the dressing a smooth body and carries flavor.
- Vinegar or lemon juice
- Provides sharp acidity that balances the richness of the oil.
- Paprika
- Adds mild color and a gentle, warm aroma.
The step that matters
Slowly add the oil while stirring continuously. Oil and acid do not mix on their own. Adding the oil slowly while stirring breaks it into tiny droplets that stay suspended temporarily. Pouring it in quickly lets it separate into a greasy layer over the vinegar or lemon juice.
“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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