Why it works: Ketchup and sauce match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and 1,099 recipes mention both. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Catalina Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dressing
In a blender, blend together the ketchup, sugar, vinegar, onion, paprika and Worcestershire sauce.
With the blender running, slowly add the oil.
Check the seasonings.
Chill
Cover and refrigerate until needed.
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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Ketchup + saucetop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,099 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Ketchup + sugartop 8% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together260 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Red wine + vinegartop 10% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together575 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Sugar + saucetop 13% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together5,147 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Ketchup
- Provides tomato flavor, sweetness and body to the dressing.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the sharpness of the vinegar.
- Red wine vinegar
- Adds acidity and bright tang that cuts through the oil.
- Onion
- Adds aroma and savory flavor; grating releases its juices into the dressing.
- Salad oil
- Adds fat and richness, and emulsifies with the other liquids for a smooth texture.
The step that matters
Slowly add the oil while the blender runs. Adding oil gradually lets its droplets disperse and bind with the vinegar and ketchup mixture, forming a stable emulsion. Pouring it in quickly can cause the dressing to separate and look greasy.
Flavor stand-ins for the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (ketchup, sugar, red wine, vinegar, sauce, pepper):
- Capsicumbetter flavor fit
- Mustardbetter flavor fit
- Horseradishbetter flavor fit
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against ketchup, sugar, red wine, vinegar, sauce, pepper. 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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