Why it works: Vinegar and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 20,806 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Dressed Cabbage
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dressing
Beat the egg in a bowl.
In a saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, salt, and butter; heat over medium heat.
Once heated, stir in the beaten egg and cook until it boils.
Remove from heat and let cool.
Serve
Pour the dressing over chopped or shaved cabbage.
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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Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Vinegar + buttertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,513 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
- Egg
- Thickens the dressing as it cooks, giving it a creamy body.
- Vinegar
- Provides the sharp acidity that balances the sweetness.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness to offset the sharpness of the vinegar.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth mouthfeel to the dressing.
The step that matters
Cooking the egg into the mixture. Stirring the beaten egg into hot liquid can scramble it if the heat is too high or it is added too quickly. Cooking gently while stirring keeps the egg smooth and lets it thicken the dressing evenly.
“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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