Name: Broccoli and Bacon Salad
Ingredients: 2-3 bunches fresh brocolli; 1½ Cups mayonnaise; ¼ - ½ Cup sugar; 1 Cup raisins (fresh grapes are a good replacement if you can find them); 1 t. vinegar; 1 small red onion - chopped (optional); 1 lb. bacon - fried

Why it works: Sugar and raisin are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,481 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓

Broccoli and Bacon Salad

Ingredients

2-3 bunches fresh brocolli
1½ Cups mayonnaise
¼ - ½ Cup sugar
1 Cup raisins (fresh grapes are a good replacement if you can find them)
1 t. vinegar
1 small red onion - chopped (optional)
1 lb. bacon - fried

Directions

Prepare

Fry bacon until crisp, then crumble into small pieces. Set aside.
Cut broccoli florets into bite-size pieces, wash, and set aside.
Combine mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar. Set aside. (Miracle Whip works in place of this)
Chop onion. If grapes are used in place of raisins, cut them in half.

Assemble and chill

Combine broccoli, bacon, onion, and grapes (or raisins). Stir in mayonnaise mixture or Miracle Whip.
Refrigerate until served.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

279Calories

11 gProtein

9 gFat

39 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Grape	1/2 cup (76g)	62
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bacon	1 slice cooked (8g)	43
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3

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.

Sugar + raisintop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together12,481 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Vinegar + oniontop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,226 recipes

Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Grape + vinegartop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,589 recipes

Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together20,806 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Grape + oniontop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,787 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

What each ingredient does

Broccoli (in the method): Provides the crisp, bulky base of the salad.
Mayonnaise: Adds creamy moisture and binds the salad together.
Bacon: Adds salty, smoky flavour and crisp texture.
Sugar: Adds sweetness that balances the vinegar and mayonnaise.
Raisins: Add chewy texture and concentrated sweetness.

Swap the onion

The recipe marks onion as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, raisin, grape, vinegar):

Mustardfits better
Capsicumfits better
Sweet potatofits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, raisin, grape, vinegar. 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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Broccoli and Bacon Salad