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Shredded Cabbage

A dish of boiled cabbage tossed with butter, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Cabbage and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,081 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Shredded Cabbage

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the cabbage

  1. Cook cabbage in a small amount of boiling water until tender; drain.

  2. Press out excess moisture or pat dry.

Finish in butter

  1. Melt butter or margarine in a skillet.

  2. Add nutmeg and stir to blend.

  3. Add cabbage and toss to coat.

  4. Add salt and pepper.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

175Calories
4 gProtein
13 gFat
14 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Broccoli1 cup chopped (156g)55
Nutmeg1 tsp ground (2.2g)12
Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

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

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

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. Cabbage + peppertop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,081 recipes

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

  2. Nutmeg + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together13,015 recipes

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

  3. Cabbage + nutmegtop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together187 recipes

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

  4. Butter + nutmegtop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together24,377 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  5. Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together85,593 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

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

What each ingredient does

Cabbage
Is the main vegetable; cooking softens its fibers until tender.
Butter or margarine
Adds fat and richness, coating the cabbage and carrying flavor.
Nutmeg
Adds a warm, aromatic flavor that complements the cabbage.

The step that matters

Press out excess moisture or pat dry. Water left on the cabbage dilutes the butter and steams the shreds instead of letting them coat evenly, leaving the dish soggy and watery.

Swap the cabbage

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, nutmeg, pepper):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Spinachfits better
  3. Potatofits better
  4. Cabbagethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, nutmeg, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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