Why it works: Cabbage and celery are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,840 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Cabbage Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Chop a small head of cabbage finely or into shreds.
Heat milk and vinegar separately.
Make the dressing
Add butter, sugar, pepper, and salt to the boiling vinegar.
Add the chopped cabbage to the mixture, heat to scalding but do not let it boil.
Stir beaten eggs into the hot milk and cook one minute after they begin to boil.
Combine and chill
Transfer hot cabbage to a bowl, pour the mixture over it, and toss until well mixed.
Cover and refrigerate for several hours.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Broccoli | 1 cup chopped (156g) | 55 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
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 + celerytop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,840 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Milk + teatop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together738 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-heptenal (creamy, biscuit).
-
Vinegar + cabbagetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,924 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Tea + celerytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together82 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cabbage
- Forms the main body of the salad and provides crisp texture.
- Eggs
- Thicken the hot milk as they set, giving the dressing body.
- Milk
- Adds creaminess and mild richness to the dressing.
- Vinegar
- Provides the sharp acidity that gives the salad its tang.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smoother mouthfeel.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the acidity of the vinegar.
The step that matters
Cooking the eggs into the hot milk. Eggs can scramble or curdle if they get too hot too fast. Adding them to hot liquid while stirring and cooking only briefly lets the proteins set gently into a smooth, thickened dressing.
Swap the cabbage
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, butter, sugar, vinegar, egg, tea, celery):
- Capsicumfits better
- Potatofits better
- Mustardfits better
- Cabbagethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, butter, sugar, vinegar, egg, tea, celery. 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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