Why it works: Tomato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,923 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Tomato Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Slice the tomatoes thinly and place them in a bowl.
Add vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, salt, onion, and apple if using. Mix well and let sit for a few hours before serving.
Serve and store
This salad can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Pepper + oniontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Tomato + appletop 13% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together548 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Sugar + saucetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,147 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes
- Provide the main body and juice that the dressing soaks into.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavour and balances the sugar.
- Sugar
- Balances the acidity of the vinegar and tomatoes for a rounded sweetness.
- Worcestershire sauce
- Adds savoury depth and umami to the dressing.
- Onion
- Contributes sharp, pungent flavour that mellows as the salad sits.
The step that matters
Let the salad sit for a few hours. Salt, sugar and vinegar draw moisture out of the tomatoes and soften them, letting the dressing blend into the juices. Serving too early leaves the flavours separate and sharp.
Swap the apple
The recipe marks apple as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, vinegar, sugar, sauce, pepper, onion):
- Avocadofits better
- Cherryfits better
- Limefits better
- Applethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, vinegar, sugar, sauce, pepper, onion. 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.
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