Why it works: Pepper and tomato 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 ↓
Chili Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Slice the tomatoes, peel and chop the onions and green peppers.
Cook
Combine all ingredients in a pot and boil for several hours until thickened to your liking.
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 + tomatotop 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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Vinegar + oniontop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,226 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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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
- Green peppers
- Provide bulk and a fresh, vegetal flavor to the sauce.
- Tomatoes
- Supply body, moisture and a mellow acidic sweetness as they break down.
- Onions
- Add savory aroma and depth that builds as the sauce cooks.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the sharpness of the vinegar.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity and tang, sharpening the flavor and helping preserve the sauce.
The step that matters
Judging when the sauce is thick. Thickening happens as water evaporates during a long boil, and the rate varies with pot size and heat. Judge the sauce by its consistency rather than by the clock alone, since stopping too early leaves it thin.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, sugar, vinegar, tomato):
- Capsicumfits better
- Cucumberfits better
- Mustardfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, sugar, vinegar, tomato. 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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