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
Mix the base
In a bowl, mix dry mustard, salt, and powdered sugar with hot water until combined.
Slowly pour in oil while beating continuously until fully incorporated.
Finish and store
Add the unbeaten eggs and mix well.
Stir in vinegar and milk, then heat the mixture until it comes to a boil.
Store in a cool place.
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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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Mustard + sugartop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,424 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Sugar and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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
- Oil
- Forms the body of the dressing and carries rich, smooth mouthfeel.
- Eggs
- Add protein that helps bind and thicken the dressing as it heats.
- Dry mustard
- Helps hold oil and liquid together and adds sharp, savory flavor.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavor and balances the richness of the oil.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and creaminess, softening the dressing's sharp notes.
- Powdered sugar
- Adds gentle sweetness that balances the vinegar and mustard.
The step that matters
Slowly pour in oil while beating continuously. Oil must be added gradually so droplets disperse and stay suspended in the water-based mixture. Pouring too fast causes the emulsion to break and the dressing to separate.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, vinegar, milk):
- Capsicumfits better
- Mustardthe original
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Sweet potatofits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, vinegar, 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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