Why it works: Vinegar and pepper 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 ↓
Vinegar Pickles, or Gherkins
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the pickles
Salt the pickles for 24 hours, then drain and wipe dry.
Ensure all pickles are sound and place them in a large jar.
Make the brine
Boil 1 gallon of vinegar with 1 cup of sugar and 1 pint of water.
Tie pickling spices in a bag and boil with the vinegar.
If desired, add a few peppers among the pickles.
Pour and store
Pour the boiling vinegar over the pickles, cover with a cloth, and place a plate on top to keep them submerged.
Check the pickles in two weeks; if necessary, boil the vinegar again.
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 + peppertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + peppertop 32% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,401 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 19,401 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Pickles
- Salting and draining first draws out moisture, so they stay firm and crisp in the vinegar.
- Best vinegar
- Provides the acidity that preserves the pickles and gives them their sharp flavour.
- Sugar
- Balances the sharpness of the vinegar with sweetness.
The step that matters
Pour the boiling vinegar over the pickles and keep them submerged. The brine must be hot and the pickles fully covered, since anything exposed to air can spoil or mould. A plate on top keeps the pickles under the liquid as they absorb it.
“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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