Why it works: Tomato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,923 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Chopped Pickles
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Place one peck of green tomatoes and 6 or 8 finely chopped onions in a container.
Sprinkle a cupful of salt through the layers and let stand overnight.
In the morning, drain the mixture through a colander.
Cook
Cook the drained mixture for 20 minutes in 2 quarts of water.
Drain off the cooking liquid.
Add the drained mixture to 4 cups of vinegar, 3 chopped red peppers, and a small stick of cinnamon.
Boil for 15 minutes, stirring to prevent burning.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
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.
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Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Pepper + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together4,890 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
-
Tomato + cinnamontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,348 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 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
- Green tomatoes
- Make up the bulk of the pickle and soften as they cook in the vinegar.
- Onions
- Add savory flavour and moisture that blends into the pickle.
- Vinegar
- Provides the sharp acidity that gives the pickle its tang and helps preserve it.
- Red peppers
- Add sweetness, colour and a mild peppery flavour.
- Cinnamon
- Adds warm aroma to the spiced vinegar.
The step that matters
Stirring while boiling. The mixture is thick and sugar-free solids settle on the pot base, so it can scorch quickly. Regular stirring keeps the pieces from sticking and burning, which would taste bitter and spoil the pickle.
Swap the cinnamon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, tomato, onion, pepper):
- Garlicfits better
- Thymefits better
- Tarragonfits better
- Cinnamonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, tomato, onion, 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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