Why it works: Apple and cider are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,238 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-one, which smells mushroom, metallic. The science ↓
Cider Apple-sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Pare, quarter, and core the apples.
Combine the apples and boiled cider in a large pot.
Cover with a plate and bring to a boil.
Cook
Reduce heat and simmer steadily until the apples are thoroughly cooked, testing with a fork.
Do not remove the plate until the apples are done to prevent burning.
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.
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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Apple + cidertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,238 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
- Sweet apples
- Break down into soft pulp that forms the body of the sauce.
- Boiled cider
- Adds concentrated apple sweetness and flavor, and moisture for the apples to cook in.
The step that matters
Keep the plate on until the apples are done. The covered pot traps steam so the apples soften in their own moisture. Lifting the cover early lets steam escape and the sugars in the boiled cider can scorch on the bottom of the pot.
“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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