Why it works: Pepper and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,814 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Cayenne Vinegar
Ingredients
Directions
Place the cayenne pepper into a bottle.
Pour the pale vinegar over the pepper.
Cork the bottle tightly and shake it well every two to three days.
Let it infuse for at least two weeks, or up to 12 months before using.
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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Pepper + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cayenne pepper
- Supplies the heat and pepper flavour that the vinegar slowly takes up during infusion.
- Pale vinegar
- Acts as the solvent that extracts the pepper's capsaicin and flavour over time.
The step that matters
Shaking and infusing for the full time. Capsaicin is fat-soluble rather than water-soluble, so it dissolves into acidic vinegar slowly. Regular shaking spreads the pepper through the liquid and speeds extraction. Rushing the infusion gives a weak, uneven heat.
“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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