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Mixed Mustard

A thickened mustard condiment made with mustard, sugar, egg, vinegar, water, and butter.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Mixed Mustard

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 ↓

Mixed Mustard

Ingredients

Directions

  1. In a bowl, mix mustard, sugar, and egg.

  2. Gradually add water and vinegar while stirring.

  3. Cook over a double boiler, stirring constantly, until thick.

  4. Remove from heat and stir in butter.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,067 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  2. Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,806 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  3. Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together118,967 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

  4. Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together98,233 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  5. Mustard + sugartop 19% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked 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

Mustard
Provides the main sharp, pungent flavor of the sauce.
Egg
Thickens the mixture as its proteins set when gently heated.
Vinegar
Adds acidity that sharpens the flavor and balances the sweetness.
Sugar
Sweetness that softens the sharpness of the mustard and vinegar.
Butter
Adds fat for richer flavor and a smoother, glossier texture.

The step that matters

Cook over a double boiler, stirring constantly, until thick. Egg proteins set at moderate heat but scramble if overheated or left unstirred. Gentle, constant stirring over the double boiler keeps the sauce smooth while it thickens.

Swap the mustard

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, vinegar, butter):

  1. Mustardthe original
  2. Capsicumfits about as well
  3. Cucumberfits about as well
  4. Shallotfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, vinegar, butter. 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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