Why it works: Tomato and lettuce are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,655 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Tomato Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Make the tomato base
Cook the tomatoes for 10 minutes, adding baking soda if very acidic.
Add salt and strain the mixture through a sieve.
Set and serve
Soak the gelatin in cold water, then pour it over the tomato mixture.
Mold the mixture and refrigerate until congealed.
Serve on lettuce with mayonnaise dressing.
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.
-
Tomato + lettucetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,655 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Gelatin + lettucetop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together128 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Tomato + gelatintop 30% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-nonanal (fatty, waxy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes
- Provide the main flavor and liquid that becomes the jelly base.
- Gelatin
- Sets the strained tomato liquid into a firm, sliceable jelly as it chills.
- Baking soda
- Neutralizes acidity in very acidic tomatoes, mellowing their sharp taste.
The step that matters
Soaking and adding the gelatin. Gelatin must be soaked in cold water so it hydrates evenly before being added to the warm tomato mixture. Stirring it in fully dissolved, rather than leaving clumps, lets the jelly set smoothly and uniformly when refrigerated.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (gelatin, lettuce):
- Beetrootfits better
- Cucumberfits better
- Mustardfits better
- Tomatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against gelatin, lettuce. 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.
More tomato jelly recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Cream of Tomato Soup107 recipes
Tomato Bisque61 recipes
Cream Tomato Soup28 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.