Why it works: Garlic and onion match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and 29,030 recipes mention both. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Directions
Make the ketchup
Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan.
Mix thoroughly and bring to a simmer.
Allow to simmer on low until the Catsup is desired consistency.
Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
Store
This should keep in the refrigerator for at least a week.
This recipe comes from the Recipes Wiki on Fandom and is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Our formatting and summaries are shared under the same licence.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together29,030 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
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Sauce + sugar substitutetop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together6 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Tomato + garlictop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together14,075 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
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Tomato + peppertop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together17,913 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Cider + vinegartop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together402 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomato sauce
- Provides the main body and tomato flavor, and its liquid thickens as it simmers down.
- Cider vinegar
- Adds acidity that gives ketchup its tangy flavor and helps keep it stable.
- Splenda sugar substitute
- Supplies the sweetness that balances the vinegar and tomato, in place of sugar.
- Garlic powder
- Adds savory aroma and depth of flavor.
- Onion powder
- Adds savory aroma and depth of flavor.
The step that matters
Simmer on low until the desired consistency. Tomato sauce thickens as water evaporates during gentle simmering. Simmering too hard can scorch the sugar substitute and tomato solids on the bottom of the pan, so low heat and checking the texture help you reach the right thickness without burning.
Flavor stand-ins for the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, sauce, cider, vinegar, sugar substitute, pepper, garlic):
- Capsicumbetter flavor fit
- Mustardabout as good a flavor fit
- Onionthe original
- Broccoliabout as good a flavor fit
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, sauce, cider, vinegar, sugar substitute, pepper, garlic. 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).
“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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