Why it works: Garlic and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,115 recipes. Both carry acetic acid, which smells sour, vinegar. The science ↓
Eschalot, or Garlic Vinegar
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Place the peeled and bruised eschalots or garlic in a jar.
Pour the vinegar over the eschalots or garlic.
Steep and strain
Seal the jar tightly and let it sit for 2 to 3 weeks.
After the steeping period, strain the vinegar for use.
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.
-
Garlic + vinegartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,115 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eschalots
- Release aromatic compounds into the vinegar, giving it a sharp, savoury flavour.
- Garlic
- Releases pungent sulfur compounds into the vinegar, adding aroma and savoury bite.
- Vinegar
- Acts as the solvent that extracts flavour from the bruised alliums and adds acidity.
The step that matters
Sealing and steeping the jar. Sealing keeps the vinegar from evaporating and contamination out, while the full 2 to 3 week steep gives the acid time to draw flavour out of the cut alliums. Stopping early leaves the vinegar weak and harsh.
“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.
You might also like
Raspberry Vinegar214 recipes
Sugar Vinegar20 recipes
Vegetable Soup350 recipes
Brown Coffee with Egg175 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.