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 ↓
Hot Slaw
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Mince or slice the cabbage, the finer the better.
Cook the cabbage
Put a piece of butter the size of half an egg into the spider; when melted, put in the cabbage, and a cup of boiling water, salt and pepper.
Cover close, and cook till tender and dry.
Finish and serve
Have ready an egg well beaten, half a cup of vinegar, a tablespoonful of sugar, (more if you wish,) thoroughly mixed, and pour over the cabbage the last thing before taking up.
Stir for a moment and serve hot.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| 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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Butter + vinegartop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,513 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cabbage (in the method)
- Forms the bulk of the dish and softens as it cooks until tender.
- Egg
- Beaten egg thickens the vinegar dressing and gives the slaw a creamy body.
- Vinegar
- Adds sharp acidity that balances the sweetness and richness of the dish.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that offsets the sharpness of the vinegar.
The step that matters
Adding the egg and vinegar mixture at the end. The beaten egg can curdle or scramble if it is exposed to high heat for too long. Pouring it over the cabbage just before taking it up and stirring briefly lets it thicken gently without cooking into lumps.
“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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