Why it works: Allspice and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,536 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Pickled Onions
Ingredients
Directions
Brine
Peel one gallon of small white onions.
Prepare a brine by dissolving one-half pound salt in one gallon of boiling water.
Cover the onions with the brine.
Let the onions stand for twenty-four hours.
Drain the onions.
Firm and pack
Cover the onions with boiling water containing a teaspoon of alum.
Let them stand for several hours.
Drain off the water.
Place the onions in jars.
Cover the onions with boiling vinegar spiced to taste with whole black pepper, allspice, and cinnamon.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Allspice | 1 tsp ground (1.9g) | 5 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | 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.
-
Allspice + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,536 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Onion + allspicetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,270 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Vinegar + allspicetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,548 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyl acetate (fruit).
-
Onion + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,226 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
-
Onion + cinnamontop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,150 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Onions
- The main vegetable, which the brine and vinegar transform into a firm, tangy pickle.
- Salt
- Draws water out of the onions during the brine, softening them and seasoning them throughout.
- Vinegar
- Acid that preserves the onions and gives them their sharp, pickled flavor.
- Allspice
- Adds warm, aromatic spice flavor to the pickling vinegar.
- Cinnamon
- Adds sweet, woody aroma to the spiced pickling vinegar.
The step that matters
Draining after the brine and alum soak. Onions left in brine or alum too long can become overly salty or soft, and the rinse or drain affects how much salt and alum remain before the vinegar is added.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, allspice, cinnamon):
- Mustardfits better
- Horseradishfits better
- Cucumberfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, allspice, cinnamon. 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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