Cold Catsup

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.

1. Horseradish + mustardtop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together1,832 recipes

   Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

2. Celery + mustardtop 2% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together4,169 recipes

   Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

3. Tomato + celerytop 4% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together3,377 recipes

   Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

4. Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together16,012 recipes

   Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

5. Onion + mustardtop 6% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together9,259 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Ripe tomatoes

Provides the main bulk, body and sweet-tart base of the ketchup.

Vinegar

Adds acidity that sharpens flavour and helps preserve the mixture in storage.

Sugar

Balances the acidity and vinegar with sweetness.

Horseradish

Contributes pungent heat and sharp aroma.

Mustard seed

Adds a sharp, pungent bite and a slightly crunchy texture.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, celery, horseradish, pepper, mustard, cinnamon, sugar):

1. Lettucefits better
2. Capsicumfits better
3. Broccolifits better
4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, celery, horseradish, pepper, mustard, cinnamon, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.