Name: Home-made Mince Meat
Ingredients: 2 pounds fresh beef, boiled and chopped fine; 1 pound beef suet, cleaned and minced; 5 pounds apples, peeled and chopped; 1 pound raisins, washed and picked; 2 pounds currants; ¾ pound citron, cut fine; ½ teaspoon cinnamon; 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg; 1 tablespoon ground cloves; 1 teaspoon allspice; 1 teaspoon mace; 1 teaspoon fine salt; 2½ pounds sugar, white or brown; 1 quart sherry; 1 pint brandy

Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

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.

Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together11,917 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together14,189 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Clove + allspicetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together7,874 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Cinnamon + allspicetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,536 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Nutmeg + allspicetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,331 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

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

What each ingredient does

Beef: Provides the meaty body and richness that gives the mincemeat its substance.
Beef suet: Adds fat that keeps the filling moist and rich as it stands.
Apples: Contribute moisture and tartness that balance the sweetness of the sugar.
Raisins: Add concentrated sweetness and chewy texture to the filling.
Sugar: Sweetens the filling and helps preserve it by binding water.
Sherry: Adds acidity and aroma and helps preserve the mixture.

Swap the currant

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

Figfits better
Orangefits better
Quincefits better
Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, apple, raisin, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice. 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.