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, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, salt, and mustard.
Slowly add the olive oil while whisking continuously.
Gradually mix in the vinegar until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
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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Mustard + olivetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,950 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Olive + vinegartop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,297 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + mustardtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,424 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Emulsify the oil and vinegar so the dressing stays smooth and thick instead of separating.
- Olive oil
- Provides fat and body, forming the rich base of the dressing.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that sharpens flavour and helps thicken the emulsion.
- Mustard
- Acts as an additional emulsifier and adds sharp flavour that helps bind the dressing.
- Sugar
- Balances the acidity of the vinegar with a touch of sweetness.
The step that matters
Adding the olive oil slowly while whisking. Oil must be dispersed into the egg yolk in small amounts at a time. Adding it too fast overwhelms the yolk, so the emulsion breaks and the dressing separates instead of thickening.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, olive, vinegar):
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Asparagusfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, olive, vinegar. 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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