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Mince Meat

A preserved meat mixture of boiled beef, suet, apples, molasses, currants, raisins, and spices.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 12 ingredients
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Why it works: Clove and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,189 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓

Mince Meat

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Chop the boiled beef and suet finely.

  2. Peel and chop the apples.

Make the mincemeat

  1. In a large bowl, combine the beef, suet, apples, currants, raisins, and molasses.

  2. Add sugar and spices to taste.

  3. If the mixture is not moist enough, add a little water.

  4. Mix all ingredients well.

  5. Cook or heat the mixture thoroughly.

Store

  1. Store in a cool place; it will keep for six months.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Clove + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together14,189 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  2. Raisin + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,390 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

  3. Apple + cinnamontop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,598 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

  4. Apple + clovetop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,774 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  5. Raisin + clovetop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,070 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

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

What each ingredient does

Boiled beef
Provides the meaty base and bulk that gives the mincemeat its traditional body.
Suet
Adds fat that keeps the filling moist and rich in texture.
Apples
Contribute moisture, tartness and body to the filling.
Molasses
Adds dark sweetness and moisture, and deepens the color and flavor.
Currants
Add chewy texture and concentrated fruit sweetness.
Raisins
Add chewy texture and concentrated fruit sweetness.

The step that matters

Cook or heat the mixture thoroughly. Heating the mixture fully ensures the meat and fat are properly cooked before storage, which is important for food safety and for a stable, well-blended filling.

Swap the currant

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

  1. Figfits better
  2. Vanillafits better
  3. Quincefits better
  4. Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, apple, molasses, raisin, sugar, clove, 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.

More mince meat with apples recipes

and Dried Fruit 5and Raisins 5 See all 9 →

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