Why it works: Cabbage and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,924 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Peanut Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the dressing
Beat 3 eggs (yolks) or 2 whole eggs, well beaten.
Stir 3 tablespoons vinegar into the beaten eggs.
Mix dry ingredients: 1 tablespoon flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon mustard.
Stir dry mixture into the eggs and vinegar, then add 1 cup sour cream.
Cook and serve
Cook mixture, stirring constantly, until thick.
Pour the thickened mixture over the cabbage, peanuts, and cracker crumbs.
Combine 2 cups chopped cabbage, 1 cup chopped or ground nuts, peanuts, and 2 cups cracker crumbs.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Cabbage | 1 cup shredded (89g) | 22 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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.
-
Cabbage + vinegartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,924 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Cabbage + flourtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together978 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Egg and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Thicken the dressing as they cook and bind it into a smooth, creamy mixture.
- Flour
- Helps stabilise the cooked dressing so it thickens without becoming grainy.
- Sour cream (in the method)
- Adds richness and a tangy creaminess to the dressing.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that sharpens the flavour and balances the sugar.
The step that matters
Cook mixture, stirring constantly, until thick.. Egg proteins set when heated, so the mixture can curdle or turn lumpy if it overheats or is left unstirred. Constant stirring keeps heat even and gives a smooth, thickened dressing.
Swap the cabbage
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, vinegar, flour):
- Shallotfits better
- Mustardfits better
- Arrowrootfits better
- Cabbagethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, vinegar, flour. 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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