Why it works: Cucumber and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,734 recipes. Both carry 2-methylbutyl acetate, which smells fruit. The science ↓
To Make Green Pickles
Ingredients
Directions
Place very small cucumbers in strong brine for 2 days.
Scald the brine and pour it over the cucumbers.
After 2 days, scald the brine again and pour it over the cucumbers.
Let the cucumbers stay in brine for a total of 6 days.
Boil equal parts vinegar and water, then pour it over the cucumbers.
After 2 days, repeat the boiling and pouring process, making 3 total scaldings in vinegar.
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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Cucumber + vinegartop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,734 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyl acetate (fruit).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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