Why it works: Cabbage and mustard match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,645 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Green Corn Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut 15 ears of green sweet corn from the cob.
Chop cabbage and peppers finely.
Cook
Heat vinegar.
Add other ingredients except corn.
Add after it is boiling hot, and cook over steam for thirty minutes.
Do not boil after corn is added.
Jar
Put into glass jars.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Corn | 1/2 cup kernels (82g) | 77 |
| Broccoli | 1 cup chopped (156g) | 55 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 3 |
| 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.
-
Cabbage + mustardtop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,645 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Mustard + corntop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together463 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
-
Cabbage + corntop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together234 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
-
Cabbage + vinegartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,924 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
- Provides crisp texture and bulk to the salad.
- Green sweet corn
- Adds sweetness and tender kernels to the salad.
- Vinegar
- Supplies sharp acidity that flavours and helps preserve the salad.
- Ground mustard
- Adds pungent, sharp flavour that complements the vinegar.
The step that matters
Do not boil after corn is added. Prolonged boiling breaks down corn kernels, making them soft, mushy and dull in flavour. Keeping the mixture at a gentle steam after the corn goes in preserves its texture.
Swap the cabbage
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mustard, corn, vinegar):
- Horseradishfits better
- Lettucefits better
- Broccolifits better
- Cabbagethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against mustard, corn, 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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