Name: Vidalia Onion Relish
Ingredients: 4 thinly sliced Vidalia onions; 1 cup granulated sugar; ½ cup cider vinegar; 2 cups water; ½ cup mayonnaise; 1 teaspoon celery salt

Why it works: Cider and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,431 recipes. Both carry 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol, which smells smoky, clove. The science ↓

Vidalia Onion Relish

Time2 hours

Ingredients

Directions

Marinate

Combine sugar, vinegar, and water, then marinate onions in this mixture for 2 hours in refrigerator.
Drain well.

Dress and serve

Combine mayonnaise and celery salt.
Combine onions and mayonnaise mixture.
Serve over crackers.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

180Calories

8 gProtein

5 gFat

25 gCarbs

Counts 6 of 8 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Celery	1 stalk (40g)	6
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Cider	not in our table	0
Water	not in our table	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.

Cider + vinegartop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,431 recipes

Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
Onion + celerytop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,518 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Onion + vinegartop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,226 recipes

Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together20,806 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Vinegar + celerytop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,627 recipes

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

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

What each ingredient does

Vidalia onions: Provide the main body and mild sweet flavor of the relish.
Granulated sugar: Sweetens the marinade and balances the sharpness of the vinegar.
Cider vinegar: Adds acidity that softens the raw bite of the onions.
Mayonnaise: Adds fat and creaminess that coats the onions and gives a rich texture.

The step that matters

Drain the onions well. Excess marinade left on the onions would thin the mayonnaise and make the relish watery. Draining removes the liquid so the mayonnaise coats the onions and holds together.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, cider, vinegar, celery):

Mustardfits better
Capsicumfits better
Cucumberfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, cider, vinegar, celery. 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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Vidalia Onion Relish