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
Beat the yolks of two eggs thoroughly.
Add sugar, mustard, salt, vinegar, cream, lemon juice, and melted butter.
Place the mixture on the stove and stir constantly until it thickens.
Remove from heat and fold in the beaten egg whites 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.
-
Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Mustard + lemontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,816 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Sugar + vinegartop 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
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the dressing and add richness as they set during gentle cooking.
- Egg whites
- Add airiness and lightness when folded in at the end.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a smooth, rich texture and mouthfeel.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that gives the dressing its tangy flavour.
- Mustard
- Adds sharp flavour and helps emulsify the dressing.
The step that matters
Stirring the mixture on the stove. Egg yolks thicken as they heat, but if the heat is too high or stirring stops, they can scramble into lumps. Constant stirring over gentle heat keeps the custard smooth.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, mustard, vinegar, cream, butter):
- Vanillafits better
- Strawberryfits about as well
- Lemonthe original
- Raspberryfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, mustard, vinegar, cream, 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.
More salad dressing recipes
You might also like
Chicken Salad623 recipes
Tomato Salad179 recipes
Cold Slaw160 recipes
French Dressing58 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.