Mixed Grill Kabob on Pilaf

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. Apple + orangetop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together2,230 recipes

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

2. Onion + ricetop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together10,433 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

3. Pepper + orangetop 10% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together2,402 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

4. Pepper + oniontop 11% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together68,474 recipes

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

5. Pepper + ricetop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together8,379 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

Ham

Provides the savory, meaty base of the kabobs and browns during broiling.

Orange marmalade

Adds sweetness and sugars that caramelize into a glossy, browned glaze when broiled.

Apples

Hold their shape on the skewer and add sweetness and tartness that balances the ham.

Vinegar

Adds acidity that sharpens the glaze and balances the marmalade's sweetness.

Uncooked rice

Absorbs the stock as it simmers, becoming tender and forming the body of the pilaf.

Butter or margarine

Adds fat that coats the rice grains and carries flavor into the pilaf.

The step that matters

Swap the orange

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (ham, pepper, onion, apple, vinegar, rice, butter):

1. Grapefits better
2. Plumfits better
3. Mangofits better
4. Orangethe original

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