Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Beat the yolks of the eggs in a bowl until smooth.
Mix in the pepper, mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt, butter, and milk.
Place the mixture in a kettle over hot water.
Stir constantly until the dressing thickens.
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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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Mustard + vinegartop 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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Pepper + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Egg yolks thicken the dressing as they gently cook and set in the warm mixture.
- Butter
- Adds fat that gives the dressing a smoother, richer mouthfeel.
- Milk
- Dilutes the acidity and adds body, contributing to a creamy texture as it heats.
- Vinegar
- Provides acidity that gives the dressing its tangy flavour.
- White sugar
- Balances the sharpness of the vinegar with sweetness.
The step that matters
Stir constantly over hot water. Egg yolks can curdle or scramble if overheated or left unstirred. Constant stirring over gentle, indirect heat keeps the proteins setting smoothly, giving an even, thickened dressing rather than lumps.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, pepper, vinegar, sugar, butter, milk):
- Capsicumfits better
- Potatofits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Asparagusfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, pepper, vinegar, sugar, butter, milk. 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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