Why it works: Cider and apple are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,238 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-one, which smells mushroom, metallic. The science ↓
Shaker, or Boiled Cider Apple Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Boil 4 gallons of cider until it reduces to 1 gallon.
Wash and drain the apples.
Place the apples in a brass or tin boiler and cover tightly.
Cook
Cook over moderate heat for 2 hours without stirring, ensuring they do not cling to the boiler or scorch.
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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Cider + appletop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,238 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Boiled cider
- Concentrated cider that adds sweetness, tang and a deep caramelised flavour to the sauce.
- Sweet apples
- Provide the bulk of the sauce, breaking down into soft pulp as they cook.
The step that matters
Cook over moderate heat without stirring. Sugars in the cider and apples can scorch on the bottom of the boiler if heat is too high or the pot is disturbed. Covering tightly keeps moisture in so the apples steam and soften, while gentle heat prevents sticking and burning.
“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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