Why it works: Pepper and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,451 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity, wine. The science ↓
Tomato Catsup
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the tomatoes
Gather the tomatoes.
Put them into a skillet, covered, until all the juice is drawn out.
Wring them hard through a coarse cloth.
Season them well with pepper and salt.
Cook and bottle
Boil them well without skimming, adding a few grains of whole pepper, five or six large blades of mace, and the same quantity of cloves.
When cold, add one third of good vinegar.
Bottle and cork them well, keeping them in a cool place.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Mace | 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.
-
Pepper + clovetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together17,451 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Mace + clovetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,400 recipes
Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).
-
Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Vinegar + clovetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,386 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Mace + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,257 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
Mace and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,257 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
- Tomatoes (in the method)
- Provide the main body, flavour and pulp of the ketchup.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that sharpens flavour and helps preserve the ketchup.
- Cloves
- Add a warm, aromatic spice flavour during boiling.
- Mace
- Adds a delicate, aromatic spice flavour during boiling.
The step that matters
Boil without skimming. Boiling the tomatoes reduces water and concentrates flavour and body. Skimming during boiling would remove foam that carries some of the cooked-down solids, so leaving it in keeps the texture and flavour of the finished sauce consistent.
Swap the mace
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, pepper, clove):
- Allspicefits better
- Tarragonfits better
- Cinnamonfits better
- Macethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, pepper, clove. 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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