Why it works: Clove and ginger match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,038 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Vinegar Peaches
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the peaches
Drop peaches a few at a time in strong (washing) soda water, then in cold water and rub off.
Make the syrup and cook
Combine 4 pounds peaches with 2 pounds sugar and 1 cup vinegar.
Make a syrup of sugar and 2 cups water.
Drop the peaches into the syrup, boil fifteen minutes, add vinegar and boil five minutes longer.
Seal tight while hot.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 12 ingredients. The other 4 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Peach | 1 medium (150g) | 59 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| White Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 3 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 3 |
| Ginger | 1 tsp grated fresh (2g) | 2 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Cider | not in our table | 0 |
| Mace | not in our table | 0 |
| 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.
-
Clove + gingertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,038 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Vinegar + cidertop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,431 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
-
Mace + clovetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,400 recipes
Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).
-
Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Peach + clovetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together280 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Peaches
- Provide the fruit that is cooked until tender and absorbs the syrup.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps preserve the fruit in the syrup.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that gives the pickled peaches their sharp, tangy flavour.
The step that matters
Drop the peaches into the syrup and boil fifteen minutes. Boiling for the stated time softens the fruit so it absorbs the syrup. Boiling too briefly leaves it firm and under-flavoured, while boiling too long can turn it mushy and break it apart.
Swap the mace
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (peach, sugar, vinegar, cider, clove, ginger, mustard):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Allspicefits better
- Cardamomfits better
- Macethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against peach, sugar, vinegar, cider, clove, ginger, mustard. 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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