Why it works: Mustard and celery are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,169 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Cucumber Pickles
Ingredients
Directions
Combine one dozen cucumbers, one dozen small onions, one quart vinegar, one tablespoon ground mustard, one cup brown sugar, one tablespoon mustard seed, one-half tablespoon celery seed, two red mango peppers, and salt; let stand overnight.
Mix sugar, mustard, and vinegar; bring to a boil. Add the other ingredients; boil until done.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Mango | 1 cup diced (165g) | 99 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Cucumber | 1/2 cup sliced (52g) | 16 |
| Celery Seed | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 3 |
| Seed | 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.
-
Mustard + celerytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,169 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Mustard + cucumbertop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,281 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together16,012 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Mustard + oniontop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,259 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Mango + peppertop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together471 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cucumbers
- Form the main bulk of the pickles and absorb the brine's flavor.
- Vinegar
- Provides the acidity that preserves and sharpens the pickles.
- Brown sugar
- Balances the vinegar's sharpness with sweetness.
- Mustard seed
- Adds sharp, pungent flavor to the brine.
The step that matters
Boil until done. The brine must be heated enough for the flavors to blend and the vegetables to soften slightly, but overboiling can make cucumbers mushy. Watching the texture matters more than the clock.
Swap the mango
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, mustard, sugar, celery, cucumber, onion, pepper):
- Avocadofits better
- Limefits better
- Lemonfits better
- Mangothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, mustard, sugar, celery, cucumber, 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.
More cucumber pickles recipes
You might also like
Chicken Salad623 recipes
Salad Dressing491 recipes
Tomato Salad179 recipes
Cold Slaw160 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.