Name: Thousand Island Dressing
Yield: 6 (1/4 cup each)
Ingredients: 1 cup (235 ml ) mayonnaise; ¼ cup (60 ml) ketchup; 2 tablespoons (30 ml) white vinegar; 1 tablespoon (15 ml) granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon (15 ml) sweet pickle relish; 2 teaspoons (10 ml) finely-minced onions; ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) salt; 1 dash of pepper

Why it works: Ketchup and sugar match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 260 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

Thousand Island Dressing

6 (1/4 cup each)

Timeat least 30 minutes chilling

Ingredients

1 cup (235 ml ) mayonnaise
¼ cup (60 ml) ketchup
2 tablespoons (30 ml) white vinegar
1 tablespoon (15 ml) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (15 ml) sweet pickle relish
2 teaspoons (10 ml) finely-minced onions
¼ teaspoon (1 ml) salt
1 dash of pepper

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. The goal is to have a pink smooth sauce.
Pour the sauce into a bowl and chill covered in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to use.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

202Calories

9 gProtein

6 gFat

30 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Relish	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 Wikibooks Cookbook.

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.

Ketchup + sugartop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together260 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together68,474 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Vinegar + oniontop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,226 recipes

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

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together27,814 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together20,806 recipes

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

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

What each ingredient does

Mayonnaise: Forms the creamy base and provides fat for a smooth, rich texture.
Ketchup: Gives the dressing its pink colour and a sweet, tangy tomato flavour.
White vinegar: Adds acidity that brightens the flavour and balances the richness of the mayonnaise.
Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness that rounds out the acidity and tomato flavour.
Sweet pickle relish: Adds sweetness, texture and a tangy pickled flavour.

The step that matters

Process until smooth. Blending fully emulsifies the mayonnaise with the liquids and breaks up the onion and relish, so the dressing sets as one even, pourable sauce rather than a separated or chunky one.

Swap the onion

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

Capsicumfits better
Mustardfits better
Horseradishfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against ketchup, vinegar, sugar, pepper. 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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Thousand Island Dressing