Why it works: Molasses and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,225 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Meat Pickle
Ingredients
Directions
For the first pickle, mix 7 pounds of common salt, 4 pounds of molasses, and 1 pound of saltpetre with just enough water to dissolve.
For the second pickle, combine 12 pounds of salt, 2 pounds of sugar or treacle, and ½ pound of saltpetre with 7 or 8 gallons of water.
Boil and strain the pickle to maintain its strength, adding a little of each ingredient as needed.
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.
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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Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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