Why it works: Clove and allspice match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,874 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Combine strained tomatoes, cloves, allspice, bay leaf, and cornstarch in a saucepan.
Cook together until heated through.
Strain the mixture before serving.
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.
-
Clove + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,874 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Tomato + clovetop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,474 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
-
Tomato + allspicetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together670 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Strained tomatoes
- Forms the liquid base and provides body, acidity and most of the flavour.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the sauce as its starch swells and gels when heated in liquid.
- Allspice berries
- Adds warm, aromatic spice notes to the sauce.
- Cloves
- Contribute a strong, aromatic spice flavour that infuses the sauce.
- Bay leaf
- Adds a subtle herbal aroma as it steeps in the hot tomatoes.
The step that matters
Cook until heated through. Cornstarch only thickens fully when the mixture reaches a simmer and the starch granules swell and gel. Stopping early can leave the sauce thin and give it a raw, starchy taste.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (clove, allspice):
- Carrotfits better
- Mustardfits better
- Parsnipfits better
- Tomatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against 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.
More tomato sauce recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Cream of Tomato Soup107 recipes
Tomato Bisque61 recipes
Cream Tomato Soup28 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.