Why it works: Wine and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and 2,385 recipes mention both. Both carry sotolon, which smells curry, maple. The science ↓
The recipe
10 servingsIngredients
Contains: egg, milk (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
- Salad
- Dressing
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Run the frozen peas under cool water in a colander, or let them sit at room temperature, until thawed. Drain well and pat dry.
Chop the cooked bacon and the sweet onion if they are not already chopped.
In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, wine vinegar and white sugar until smooth. Taste and add more sugar if you like it sweeter.
In a large bowl, combine the peas, bacon, golden raisins, shredded Cheddar, onion and sunflower seeds.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until everything is coated. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Wine + vinegartop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together2,385 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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Cheddar cheese + oniontop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together3,669 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Onion + vinegartop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together18,203 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Raisin + sugartop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together12,480 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Peas + cheddar cheesetop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together183 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
Flavor stand-ins for the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (peas, cheddar cheese, onion, sunflower, wine, vinegar, sugar):
- Applebetter flavor fit
- Grapebetter flavor fit
- Mangobetter flavor fit
- Raisinthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against peas, cheddar cheese, onion, sunflower, wine, vinegar, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
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