Why it works: Vinegar and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,814 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Sour Kidney Stew
Ingredients
Directions
Make the gravy
Put 1 teaspoon each of lard and butter in a hot skillet, and when melted rub in enough flour to make your gravy.
When the flour is browned, add boiling water, and when cooked 3 or 4 minutes, put in the kidneys cut small; stew for 20 minutes.
If the gravy boils away, add boiling water.
Finish and serve
Season with salt and pepper, and before serving add from 1 to 3 tablespoons vinegar.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Lard | 1 tbsp (12.8g) | 115 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| 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.
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Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 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
- Kidneys (in the method)
- Provide the main substance of the stew, becoming tender as they simmer in the gravy.
- Flour (in the method)
- Browns and thickens the liquid to form the gravy base.
- Vinegar
- Adds sharpness that gives the stew its sour flavour.
- Lard
- Fat for frying the flour, adding richness and flavour to the gravy.
The step that matters
Adding the vinegar before serving. Acid added while the stew is still simmering can make the kidneys tougher and dull the flavour, so the vinegar is added at the end, in measured amounts, to keep the sourness bright.
“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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