Why it works: Vinegar and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 20,806 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
May Friedl
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Soak one pound beans overnight.
Boil beans until tender.
Assemble and bake
Dice salt pork and place at bottom of pan.
Put beans on top of pork.
Season to taste.
Add two tablespoons vinegar, two and a half tablespoons sugar, and one-half bottle ketchup.
Cover with water and bake four hours in covered pan.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Bean | 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.
-
Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Beans + vinegartop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,347 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
-
Beans + sugartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,587 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Beans
- Provide the main body and starchy, tender texture of the dish.
- Salt pork
- Adds fat and savory flavor that seasons the beans as they cook.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that balances the sweetness of the sauce.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps build a rich, browned sauce during baking.
- Ketchup (in the method)
- Adds tomato sweetness, acidity, and thickness to the sauce.
The step that matters
Cover with water and bake four hours in covered pan. Keeping the pan covered traps moisture so the beans cook slowly and stay tender instead of drying out. Check that the water covers the beans before baking, since beans that dry out become tough and the sauce can scorch.
Swap the beans
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, sugar):
- Sesamefits better
- Chestnutfits better
- Soybeanfits better
- Beansthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, sugar. 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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