Ways to Use Mustard in Cooking

Mustard is an everyday ingredient in both recipes and in basic preparations such as sandwiches and salad dressings. Dry mustard and prepared mustard are both used in cooking and they are often a staple in pantries. Dry mustard is stored at room temperature and prepared mustard is kept in the refrigerator.

Dry Mustard and Prepared Mustard

Dry mustard is used as a coloring agent in sauces and dry mixes. It is also used to give a bit of spiced notes for rubs. Besides those uses, dry mustard can be used to flavor vegetables and baked goods. Dry mustard comes in both powder form and whole seed form. The whole seed form is flavorful and decorative.

Prepared mustard can be found as plain yellow style, or whole seed varieties. Prepared mustards can be homemade creations using white wine and mixing in other spices. Specialty mustards use other dried herbs or ingredients to give extra flavor, such as horseradish.

Whole mustards contain whole mustard seed and provide a spicy and bold flavor. Other ingredients include vinegar, white wine, salt or other spices, and sometimes a touch of sugar or horseradish for a little heat.

Here are some ways to use mustard in cooking:

Salad Dressings and Vinaigrettes

Dry mustard is stirred into mayonnaise-based and oil-and-vinegar dressings along with other dry ingredients. Prepared mustard is added at any time and whisked in.

Baked Goods

Mustard can be added in dry form with the dry ingredients or stirred into the liquid ingredients when prepared for easy mixing. Biscuits are good candidates for mixing in mustard for flavor.

Vegetables

Dry mustard and prepared mustard are both good in vegetable dishes like scalloped potatoes or potatoes au gratin. Parsnips and rutabaga dishes are good with mustard as are mushroom dishes.

Meats

Pork chops can be rubbed with mustard before breading. Rub recipes can have dry mustard stirred with other dry ingredients before being rubbed onto steaks and roasts. Meatloaf and hamburgers are enlivened with a little mustard inside them.

Egg Dishes

Scrambled eggs and omelets can have mustard stirred into the eggs while beating them. Savory custard dishes such as savory bread pudding can be flavored with dry mustard or a little Dijon white wine mustard for additional flavor.