Why it works: Vinegar and mustard 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 ↓
Mayonnaise
Ingredients
Directions
In a pint bowl, combine the raw egg yolks and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Set the bowl in ice water to keep it cold and beat with an egg beater for about 30 seconds.
Gradually add more olive oil while whipping until the mixture thickens and resembles softened butter.
Alternately add vinegar or lemon juice and olive oil until fully incorporated.
Stir in the mustard and cayenne for seasoning.
The mayonnaise should be thick enough to coat salad ingredients without running.
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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Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Olive + mustardtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,950 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,430 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Olive + vinegartop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,297 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
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Olive + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,263 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Emulsify the oil and water, giving the mayonnaise its thick, creamy structure.
- Olive oil
- Forms the fat base that gives the mayonnaise its rich body and texture.
- Vinegar or lemon juice
- Adds acidity that balances the richness and helps stabilize the emulsion.
- Prepared mustard
- Helps bind the oil and yolk together, stabilizing the emulsion.
The step that matters
Adding the oil gradually while whipping. Oil must be dispersed into the yolk in small amounts at first. Adding it too fast overwhelms the emulsifier and the mixture breaks into a greasy, separated liquid.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, olive, vinegar, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Tomatofits about as well
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, olive, vinegar, pepper. 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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