Mince Meat

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.

1. Apple + cidertop 2% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together1,238 recipes

   Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

2. Currant + cidertop 10% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together500 recipes

   Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).

3. Raisin + curranttop 10% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together6,180 recipes

   Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, creamy).

4. Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together9,225 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

5. Apple + curranttop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together1,918 recipes

   Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Beef

Provides the meaty body and richness that gives mincemeat its traditional character.

Apples

Add moisture, tartness and bulk that balance the sweetness of the sugar and molasses.

Brown sugar

Adds sweetness and helps preserve the mixture while it cooks down.

Suet

Adds fat that gives the mixture a rich, mellow texture.

Raisins

Add concentrated sweetness and chewy texture.

Molasses

Adds depth, dark color and a rounded sweetness.

The step that matters

Swap the currant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, apple, raisin, sugar, molasses, cider):

1. Figfits better
2. Pearfits better
3. Plumfits better
4. Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, apple, raisin, sugar, molasses, cider. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.