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
In a double boiler, combine mustard, salt, sugar, flour, and butter with milk.
Set on the back of the stove until the butter melts.
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until it thickens.
Remove from heat and quickly beat in the eggs and vinegar.
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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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Mustard + flourtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,066 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Thicken the dressing as they set and add richness to the sauce.
- Flour
- Thickens the milk mixture so the dressing becomes smooth and cohesive.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, and melts into the sauce for a smooth texture.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that gives the dressing its sharp, tangy flavor.
- Sugar
- Balances the sharpness of the vinegar with a touch of sweetness.
The step that matters
Remove from heat and quickly beat in the eggs and vinegar. Eggs can scramble if they meet too much heat. Taking the pan off the heat before adding them and beating quickly spreads the egg evenly so the dressing stays smooth.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, flour, butter, milk, egg, vinegar):
- Shallotfits about as well
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Chivefits about as well
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, flour, butter, milk, egg, 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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