Why it works: Tomato and cucumber are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,405 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Mixed Pickles
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the vegetables
Chop four large heads of cabbage very finely.
Chop one peck of green tomatoes very finely.
Chop two dozen large cucumbers very finely.
Chop one dozen onions very finely.
Chop one dozen green peppers very finely.
Mix all the chopped vegetables together.
Layer the mixture and sprinkle with salt.
Let it set all night.
In the morning, squeeze the mixture dry with the hands.
Cover the mixture with cold vinegar.
Let it set for twenty-four hours, then squeeze as before.
Put the pickles in a jar.
Make the spiced vinegar
Take fresh vinegar enough to cover the pickles.
Put the vinegar, two pounds of sugar, about one half ounce of cloves, cinnamon, allspice, and mace in a kettle.
Grind the allspice and tie it up in a thin cloth.
Boil the mixture for a few minutes.
Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the pickles.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Broccoli | 1 cup chopped (156g) | 55 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Cucumber | 1/2 cup sliced (52g) | 16 |
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
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.
-
Tomato + cucumbertop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,405 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Cabbage + cucumbertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together722 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Cabbage + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,001 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Cucumber + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,050 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).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cabbage
- Forms the crisp, bulky body of the pickle and holds its texture after brining.
- Green tomatoes
- Adds tart, firm bulk to the mix and contributes natural acidity.
- Cucumbers
- Adds crunch and fresh body that stays firm through the pickling process.
- Onions
- Contributes sharp flavor that mellows during the long vinegar soak.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the vinegar and balances its sharpness.
- Cloves
- Adds warm aromatic spice to the hot vinegar syrup.
The step that matters
Squeezing the salted vegetables dry. Salt draws water out of the chopped vegetables; squeezing off that liquid before adding vinegar keeps the pickles crisp and stops the vinegar from being diluted.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, cabbage, tomato, cucumber, onion):
- Garlicfits better
- Corianderfits better
- Celeryfits better
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, cabbage, tomato, cucumber, onion. 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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