Why it works: Tomato and cucumber are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,405 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Chopped Pickle
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the vegetables
Chop the green tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, celery, green peppers, and onions together.
Scald the chopped vegetables in a weak brine, then drain.
Scald the vegetables again in equal parts vinegar and water (1 quart each), then drain.
Pickle and store
Pour hot 1 gallon of vinegar over the vegetables, mixed with 1.5 pounds of sugar, ¼ pound of white mustard seed, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon each of black pepper, red pepper, ground mustard, cloves, and allspice.
Place the mixture into earthen jars and cover with fresh horseradish leaves.
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 + cucumbertop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,405 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Tomato + celerytop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,377 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together16,012 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Cabbage + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,081 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Cucumber + cabbagetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together722 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Green tomatoes
- Provide bulk and a tart, firm body that holds up to pickling.
- Cabbage
- Adds crunch and bulk that stays firm after scalding and soaking.
- Cucumbers
- Contribute crisp texture and fresh, mild bulk to the chopped mixture.
- Sugar
- Balances the sharp vinegar with sweetness and helps round out the flavour.
- Vinegar
- Provides the acidity that preserves the vegetables and gives the pickle its sour bite.
- White mustard seed
- Adds a pungent, sharp flavour that carries through the vinegar brine.
The step that matters
Scalding the vegetables in brine, then in vinegar and water. Scalding softens and partly wilts the chopped vegetables so they absorb the brine and vinegar evenly. Draining well between scalds removes excess water, which keeps the finished pickle from diluting and going soft.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, cucumber, cabbage, celery, pepper, vinegar, sugar):
- Capsicumfits better
- Mustardfits better
- Lettucefits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, cucumber, cabbage, celery, pepper, vinegar, sugar. 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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