Why it works: Cider and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,431 recipes. Both carry 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol, which smells smoky, clove. The science ↓
Tomato Catsup
Ingredients
Directions
Cook and strain
Combine one gallon skinned tomatoes, four tablespoons common salt, four of black pepper, two of allspice, three of ground mustard, and one teaspoon cayenne in a pot.
Simmer slowly in one gallon cider vinegar until the mixture reduces to about five quarts and a half of tomatoes.
Strain the mixture through a sieve.
Bottle and seal
Bottle the hot liquid.
Cork the bottle and dip it into hot sealing wax.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Cayenne | 1 tsp (1.8g) | 6 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Cider | 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.
-
Cider + vinegartop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,431 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
-
Tomato + vinegartop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,063 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Tomato + cidertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together524 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Skinned tomatoes
- Provide the main body, bulk and fruity flavor that the sauce is built on.
- Cider vinegar
- Adds sharp acidity that balances the tomatoes and helps keep the finished sauce stable.
- Cayenne
- Adds a pungent heat that gives the sauce a background kick.
The step that matters
Simmering until reduced. Simmering slowly concentrates the tomato and vinegar mixture and thickens it. Too little time leaves the sauce thin and watery, while too much heat can scorch the bottom of the pot and give a burnt taste.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cider, vinegar):
- Mustardfits better
- Cucumberfits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Tomatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against cider, vinegar. 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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