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I have been given a jar of homemade mustard as a gift. It is apparently a dijon-style made mustard for sandwiches. Luckily I tasted it before using it. Even a tiny taste almost blew the nose off my face.

Despite this I don't want to bin it. Firstly, it was a gift. Secondly, what I tasted had a lovely creamy texture. It would be a shame to waste it.

What I want to know is, is there anything I can mix this mustard with that would considerably tone down the "heat", preferably without ruining the flavour and texture too much?

I know that there are things that work with chilli, but presumably this is a different chemical.

PotatoCrisp
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  • Good news…mustard loses its heat over time. Although that might be years to get it to where you’d like it. So the easier thing to do is just use less of it while it’s too strong for your taste. – Joe Dec 31 '21 at 11:23

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You could mix it with mayonnaise to make Dijonnaise, which is an excellent sandwich spread.

FuzzyChef
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I don't know of anything for mustard akin to the chilli 'cures' such as yoghurt, milk, etc but as a general rule, vinegar knocks back the heat of mustard, water emphasises it.
Additionally, water-based will naturally lose its heat much faster than vinegar-based - which is why you generally make up mustard powder only 15 mins or so before you use it. Pure water/mustard mix will have noticeably lost its edge after only a day.

It might depend on how, or if, your mustard is preserved initially. If it was water-based then canned, then knocking it back with vinegar & a milder mustard powder would change the flavour profile but may also change its shelf-life. If it's vinegar-based initially, then I think your only option is to somehow dilute it. I would go with a milder home-made mustard.

It may depend on where in the world you live as to the availability of mustard powders. Here in the UK the only ubiquitous one is an English, Coleman's, which will certainly not reduce the burn at all & may actually increase it.
In general, darker colour mustards are milder, lighter are hotter. 'Fake' ready-made mustards like McDonald's use all kinds of fillers, bulkers & colourings to make a yellow 'mustard' with almost no taste of mustard at all, so don't let that fool you.

If you don't mind changing the flavour profile completely, then will mix with mayo - which, in effect, just dilutes the mustard. Honey will sweeten it & dilute somewhat. Sweet will mask the hot to an extent.

Tetsujin
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Mustard gets milder when you heat it. I normally use Dijon mustard in a cheese sauce as it really enhances it without making it hot. You can also use a little in salad dressing, it will be weakened by the oil and vinegar and it also helps to emulsify the dressing because it is a natural emulsifier. Finally you could just get used to it! It's commonly eaten in France of course but also in the UK and we're just used mustard being a bit hotter.

user102126
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