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Momma's Sloppy Joes

"My mom has been making this basic sloppy joe recipe for so long that when I asked her how she made them, she had to make a batch to be sure of the measurements. These are no fancy joes - nothing but lots of sloppy, zesty mess! Beef may be used instead of turkey. Perfect for potluck or game day. Serve on your favorite buns."

By allrecipes · From Open Recipes · 5 ingredients
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Momma's Sloppy Joes

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 ↓

Momma's Sloppy Joes

6 servings
Prep15 min
Cook40 min

Ingredients

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

242Calories
32 gProtein
4 gFat
18 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chicken100g cooked165
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Mustard1 tsp (5g) yellow3

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By allrecipes. Recipe from Open Recipes.

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.

  1. Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,067 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  2. Ketchup + sugartop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together260 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  3. Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,806 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  4. Ketchup + mustardtop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together331 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  5. Sugar + mustardtop 19% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together8,424 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

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

Swap the mustard

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (turkey, ketchup, sugar, vinegar):

  1. Capsicumfits about as well
  2. Mustardthe original
  3. Horseradishfits less well
  4. Shallotfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against turkey, ketchup, sugar, vinegar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.